Spitalfields is one of the City’s
younger markets, starting life as a thirteenth century market
in a field next to St Mary Spittel on the edge of the Square
Mile.
In 1682, King Charles II granted John Balch, a silk thrower, a
Royal Charter that gave him the right to hold a market on Thursdays
and Saturdays in or near Spital Square. For the next 200 years, the
market traded from a collection of sheds and stalls, doing its best
to cope with London’s growing appetite for fresh fruit and
vegetables. As time went by, it became a centre for the sale of
home-grown produce, which was being traded there six days a
week.
By 1876, a former market porter called Robert Horner bought a
short lease on the market and started work on a new market
building, which was completed in 1893 at a cost of £80,000. In
1920, the City of London acquired direct control of the market,
extending the original buildings some eight years later.
For the next 60 years, Spitalfields’ nationwide reputation grew,
as did the traffic congestion in the narrow streets around it. With
no room for the expansion it so badly needed, the market was forced
to move and in May 1991, it opened its doors at its new location in
Leyton. In contrast to its former cramped surroundings, the new
Spitalfields Market now covers over 31 acres (13 hectares), with
fast, easy access to the motorway network and the ports. At its
centre is the Market Hall, which houses more than 100 trading units
for wholesalers dealing in fruit, vegetables and flowers, equipped
to the latest standards with facilities that include cold storage
rooms, ripening rooms and racking for palletised produce, according
to requirements.
There are also four separate buildings with self-contained units
for catering supply companies, fruit importers and other related
businesses, as well as accommodation for companies providing
back-up services such as diesel/propane supplies, specialist pallet
services and fork lift truck maintenance. Not forgetting over 1,900
parking spaces for its traders, customers and staff, together with
the all important market cafes where so much business is done.
With its relocation to these smart, spacious new premises, the
spirit of Spitalfields is alive and well, together with its
influence as a trading centre. No other horticultural market in the
UK can boast so many wholesale traders under one roof – and no
other market in Europe offers a wider choice of exotic fruit and
vegetables, thanks to the tireless efforts of its specialist
wholesalers in these areas.