 Borough Market in 2018 | |
| Environment | Covered |
|---|---|
| Goods sold | Food |
| Days normally open | Tuesday-Sunday (Closed on Mondays) |
| Website | boroughmarket |
Borough Market is awholesale andretailmarket hall inSouthwark,London,England. It is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London,[1][2] with a market on the site dating back to at least the 12th century. The present buildings were built in the 1850s, and today the market mainly sellsspeciality foods to the general public.
| Southwark Market Act 1755 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to prevent the holding of any Market for the future in The High Street of the Borough of Southwark, in the County of Surry. |
| Citation | 28 Geo. 2. c. 9 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 20 March 1755 |
The market itself claims to have existed since 1014 "and probably much earlier"[3] asSnorri Sturluson describes Southwark as a "great market town" when describing an incident inHeimskringla dated to 1014. A market that originally adjoined the end of London Bridge was first mentioned in 1276 and was subsequently moved south of St Margaret's church on the High Street.[4] The City of London received a royal charter fromEdward VI in 1550 to control all markets in Southwark (seeGuildable Manor), which was confirmed byCharles II in 1671. However, the market caused such traffic congestion that, in 1754, it was abolished by anact of Parliament, theSouthwark Market Act 1755 (28 Geo. 2. c. 9).[5][6]
| Southwark Market (No. 2) Act 1755 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to enable the Churchwardens, Overseers, and Inhabitants, of the Parish of Saint Saviour, in the Borough of Southwark, in the County of Surry, to hold a Market within the said Parish, not interfering with The High Street in the said Borough. |
| Citation | 28 Geo. 2. c. 23 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 25 April 1755 |
A second act that year, theSouthwark Market (No. 2) Act 1755 (28 Geo. 2. c. 23), allowed for the local parishioners to set up another market on a new site, and in 1756, it began again on a 4.5-acre (18,000 m2) site in Rochester Yard.[5][6] During the 19th century, it became one of London's most important food markets due to its strategic position near the riverside wharves of thePool of London.[5]
| Southwark Market Act 1757 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to explain, amend, and render more effectual, an Act passed in the Twenty-eighth Year of the Reign of His present Majesty, intituled, "An Act to enable the Churchwardens, Overseers, and Inhabitants, of the Parish of Saint Saviour, in the Borough of Southwark, in the County of Surry, to hold a Market within the said Parish, not interfering with the High Street in the said Borough." |
| Citation | 30 Geo. 2. c. 31 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 28 June 1757 |
| Borough Market (Southwark) Act 1823 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to alter and amend Two several Acts passed in the Twenty eighth and Thirtieth Years of His Majesty King George the Second, for the. Purpose of enabling the Churchwardens, Overseers and Inhabitants of the Parish of Saint Saviour in the Borough of Southwark in the County of Surrey, to hold a Market within the said Parish. |
| Citation | 4 Geo. 4. c. xxxiv |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 23 May 1823 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Southwark Market Act 1829 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Citation | 10 Geo. 4. c. cxix |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 4 June 1829 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
By the mid 1990s the market had declined and trustees decided to revive it as a retail rather than a wholesale market.[7]: 119 In 1998 they invitedHenrietta Green to hold a Food Lovers' Fair, which recruited several long-term traders for the market.[7]: 119–120 From 1996 they let unused space to wholesale businesses such asNeal's Yard Dairy, Brindisa andMonmouth Coffee Company. The new tenants were encouraged to open their premises to retail customers.[7]: 233
In 2011, seven traders were expelled from the market for trading from their storage units atMaltby Street Market a mile away. In turn the traders criticised poor facilities at the market and a move to selling takeaway food.[8]
In the2017 London Bridge attack, three attackers drove a vehicle over London Bridge and then ran to the area, where they stabbed and killed eight people with knives before they were shot dead by armed police.[9] The market was then closed for 11 days following the attack.[10]
Borough Market is located onSouthwark Street andBorough High Street just south ofSouthwark Cathedral on the southern end ofLondon Bridge.
The retail market operates six days per week; it is closed on Mondays.[11]
The present buildings were designed in 1851 by Henry Rose,[12] with additions in the 1860s and an entrance designed in theArt Deco style added on Southwark Street in 1932. Significant changes to the buildings have been made over the years as a result of successive expansions to the nearby railway infrastructure; see"Railway viaducts and the Thameslink Programme".
A refurbishment began in 2001. The work includes the re-erection in 2004 of the South Portico from the Floral Hall, previously atCovent Garden, which was dismantled when theRoyal Opera House was reconstructed in the 1990s.[5] The original Convent Garden building waslisted and the resited portico was Grade II listed in 2008.[13]
Today market stalls mainly sellspecialty foods to the general public. However, in the 20th century Borough Market was essentially a wholesale market, selling produce in quantity togreengrocers. It was the main supplier, along withCovent Garden, of fruits and vegetables to retail greengrocers. Amongst the notable businesses trading in the Borough Market wereVitacress, the Lee Brothers, Manny Sugarman, AW Bourne and Eddy Robbins. JO Sims, the main importer for South African citrus fruit, were also located in the market. Stallholders come to trade at the market from different parts of theUK, and traditional European products are also imported and sold. Amongst the produce on sale are fresh fruit and vegetables,artisanal food, cheese, meat, game, baked bread, andpastry.
The market is acharitable trusts in English law administered by a board of volunteertrustees, who have to live in the area.[14]
Borough Market and the surrounding streets have been used as a film location for such features asBridget Jones's Diary (2001),Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) andHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004).[15] More recently some scenes inThe Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) were shot there.[16] As reported by theLondon Evening Standard, the market is available to hire for private events.[17]
From 1860, the railway operating companies desired to extend services fromLondon Bridge station into new stations atCannon Street andBlackfriars in theCity and link to theWest End atCharing Cross Station. This required a viaduct, but legally, it was impossible by the Borough Market Act 1756 for the trustees to alienate their property. The compromise was that only aflying leasehold was given to the railway company for the permanent way, but only for as long as a railway operates on it. The market continues to trade underneath the arches of the viaduct. Each time there is a railway expansion requiring widening of the viaduct, the trustees receive a full compensation payment.[18]
Most recently, as part of theThameslink Programme, a large number of listed buildings in the Borough Market area have been altered or demolished.[19] The market building on Bedale Street south-side has had its upper floors removed, as has theWheatsheaf public house on Stoney Street, for the new railway bridge to cross over them. The remaining floors have been re-occupied. The old market glazed roof on Stoney Street has been re-instated and cleaned. A significant loss was the Smirke Terrace, Nos 16–26 Borough High Street, demolished in 2010.[20]
| International | |
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| National | |
51°30′20″N00°05′27″W / 51.50556°N 0.09083°W /51.50556; -0.09083
