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What happened to Spitalfields Market?
Yet another one of London's hidden gems seems to have gone mainstream. Once a hangout for art students and celebrities like Jarvis Cocker, Kate Moss and Pete Doherty, a new redevelopment has meant that the market has seen the arrival of a rash of pricey boutiques and chain restaurants.
Once a fruit and vegetable market, Spitalfields had, since 1991, enjoyed a renaissance as a centre for arts, crafts, second hand clothes stalls and memorabilia. Art students mingled with collectors and Sunday afternoon strollers in the organised chaos of busy market stalls. It was a place to see and be seen.
Now, glass fronted designer shops and a large dining area have been built around the heart of the market. Second hand clothes have made way for cheap imports from China, and many of the original art and craft stalls seem to have relocated. So has Spitalfields lost its charm?
Well, the answer is yes and no. Now firmly on the tourist map, Spitalfields and neighbouring Brick Lane are even more bustling than ever, but have inevitably lost some of their edgy cool. Still a pleasant place to pass a Sunday afternoon, serious craft hunters may want to look elsewhere.
What do you think? Have your say about the fate of Spitalfields, or add your suggestions for fellow craft hunters below.
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What happened to Spitalfields Market?
Old Spitalfields Market is a covered market in Spitalfields, just outside the City of London. There has been a market on the site since 1638 when Charles lorazepam I of England gave a licence for flesh, fowl and roots to be sold in what was then known as Spittle Fields.[cipro] The existing buildings were built in 1887 to service a wholesale market, owned by the City of London Corporation. This was on the site of a public market, founded in 1682 by Charles II. Charles' Spitalfield's Market was founded to feed the burgeoning population buy diazepam of this suburb of London, that had previously been open fields.
The original wholesale fruit and vegetable market moved to New Spitalfields Market in 1991.
The western end of the old market has been redeveloped, but the eastern end has been saved as a popular food and general market which has been at the centre of a revival in the area. This is open seven days a week, but is particularly lively on Sundays.