Changing buying habits and financial pressure may mean the end of London’s famous Smithfield and Billingsgate markets.
The two markets, famous enough that their names have been taken by other cities’ markets, have roots in the Middle Ages; Smithfield may have existed as a meat market since the 10th century, and the right to operate it was granted to the City by Edward III in 1327.
Both are owned and operated by the City of London, the famous square-mile original heart of the city. The City Corporation, the governing body, has voted to close the markets by 2028, saying that an original plan to relocate them to an area east of the city was too expensive to carry out.
A report to the body said the markets were no longer needed because people are eating less meat and fish, and that much of the meat trade that traditionally took place at Smithfield and in fish at Billingsgate was now handled online and through distributors.
The Smithfield market building, built in the mid 19th century, is a Grade II-listed building designed by Sir Horace Jones, who also designed Tower Bridge. Under the new proposal, the building would house a mixed-use cultural development adjoining its neighbor the Museum of London. The fish market would be turned into housing.
Image: view inside Smithfield shortly after its completion
