London’s Greatest Food Market
Borough Market is believed to be over 1000 years old and is the only fully independent market in London. It is operated by a charitable trust and run by a board of volunteers, known as ‘The Borough Market’. Situated on the south side of London Bridge in Southwark, nestling between Borough High Street and the striking gothic architecture of Southwark Cathedral, the present market echoes to the sounds of the trains reverberating over the railway tracks above and of the 100+ market traders selling the best Britain, and indeed the world, has to offer. Walking throughout the market you cannot help but be excited by the array of colours from the fruit, veg, meat, fish, cheeses and by the aromas of the paella, gourmet burgers, bakeries and wonderful coffees in what must be London’s best market.
Timeline of Borough Market
11th-12th century
A market takes shape along what is now known as Borough High Street.
13th century
City of London markets are being threatened by the popularity of Borough Market. The City of London forbids Londoners from buying cheap goods from the market south of the river and selling them anywhere north of London Bridge.
14th century
The area becomes a haven for vagrancy and criminals.
15th century
Henry IV grants to the City of London ‘assay and assize’ (licensing) of goods sold at Borough Market: revenues which had previously gone to the Crown.
18th century
1755-the market is closed by Act of Parliament due to congestion on the High Street and the impact on traders north of the river.
1756-parishioners of St Saviours church (now Southwark Cathedral) are granted the right to set up a new, independent market away from the High Street in an area still known as the Triangle.
19th century
The market expands due to the growth of the railways. Borough becomes a vital hub for the sale of food to southeast London.
The present building’s elaborate wrought ironwork is added. Designed in 1851 by Henry Rose, with further additions in 1863-64 by Edward Habershon.
21st century
The South Portico is added to the market in 2004. The portico was taken from ‘The Floral Hall’, previously at Covent Garden, which was dismantled when the Royal Opera House was reconstructed in the 1990s.
Park Street
Borough and the Railways
In the 1860s, the railways were expanding at a phenomenal rate. This required the building of a viaduct through the market. The original 1756 Market Act had forbidden the development of the site, so the trustees of the market said no!
The compromise was to give the railway companies a ‘flying leasehold’, but only for as long as the railway operated. This is still the case today, and any future development of the site must be with the agreement of the trustees and full compensation must be paid to the market.
The market building on Bedale Street had its upper floors removed, as did the Wheatsheaf pub in Stoney Street for the new bridge to cross over them.
Iron work roof
Borough in the Movies
The atmospheric feel and the years of history surrounding the area of Borough has tempted many film makers to shoot films on location here including:
Bridget Jones’s Diary, starring Renee Zellweger (2001),
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, directed by Guy Ritchie (1998)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004).
Borough Market’s Millennium
To celebrate its 1000th birthday in 2014, the market put on various events, one of which is Footsteps in Time. At each of the three main entrances to the market, shoppers will walk through a different colour of eco-friendly wash-away paint. As they walk around the market, they will leave behind thousands of interlacing footprints, creating a vast and rapidly evolving work of art.
“The work beautifully represented all the millions of feet that have passed through the Market over the centuries - from William Shakespeare to Charlie Chaplin - as well as those that have yet to come,” said Keith Davis, the Managing Director of Borough Market.
Monmouth Coffee shop
