Beware of designer
goods being sold vastly below the normal price. Although these may
be genuinely 'second quality' or ends of ranges, there are some
fakes about. And, as you would anywhere, watch your purse/wallet
in crowded places.
Occasionally,
you will be able to reduce the price by bargaining. In many markets,
the very best bargains come at the end of the day, when anything
perishable is sold off - so watch out for big bags of bagels, and
parcels of fruit and flowers going cheap!
General
Street Markets
Berwick Street
Market
Berwick Street Market is a wonderful surprise - a fruit and vegetable
market right in the heart of the city, tucked away between Oxford
Street and Old Compton Street. Also to be found here are stalls
selling a limited variety of household goods as well as cheese,
bread and the like. Opens: Monday through Saturday from 08.00 to
17.00.
Tube: Oxford Circus/Tottenham Court Road
Brick Lane Market
Brick Lane Market is pure East End London, which means Jewish bagel
shops, Bangladeshi curry houses, Indian sari silks - and Cockneys
crying out their wares. This chaotic, bustling market is half way
between jewel and junk heap. It attracts lots of young Londoners,
in search of second-hand furniture, unusual clothes and bits of
this-and-that. They'll finish with an inexpensive Sunday lunch (probably
curry) in a local restaurant. The market is open Sunday early morning
to around 14.00.
Tube: Liverpool Street/Whitechapel/Aldgate East
Columbia
Road Market
Chic little boutiques line this historic street, which every Sunday
is filled with flower stalls. As well as cut flowers, there are
topiary trees, pot plants, bulbs and bouquets on sale, and everything
to cater for that English obsession, gardening. The market is open
from 08.00 to 14.00 and there are plenty of chic cafes and authentic
sea-food stalls to refresh you.
Tube: Liverpool Street/Aldgate East
Camden Markets
Camden Market is actually several markets wrapped into one fun,
funky canalside shopping experience. On sale are crafts, bric-a-brac,
clothes, health foods and antiques. It is a place to pick up outrageous
retro clothing, creative clubwear and even silly souvenirs. There's
Camden Lock Market, The Stables Market and Camden Canal Market,
where you can find a wide variety of goods including clothes, crafts,
antiques and jewellery. The best days to go are Saturday and Sunday
from 08.00 to 18.00 - as long as you don't mind crowds; there is
a smaller number of shops and stalls open on weekdays.
Tube: Camden Town or Chalk Farm
Greenwich Market
Greenwich Market sells a variety of traditional, hand-crafted goods.
The craft market is held at College Approach and the antiques market
is off Greenwich High Road. All the markets are open at the weekend
from around 09.00 to 17.00.
Tube: Cutty Sark
Rail station: Greenwich
Leadenhall
Market
Leadenhall Market is a restored Victorian covered market that sells
traditional game, poultry, fish and meat. It's open Monday-Friday
from 07.00 to 16.00 and the best time to visit is early lunchtime.
It is found in Whittington Avenue, off Gracechurch Street, close
to the Lloyds of London building and the Bank of England.
Tube: Bank/Monument
Old Spitalfields
Market
Nestled in the heart of the city, in the shadow of Christ Church,
Old Spitalfields Market offers the perfect antidote to out-of-town
shopping malls. The stalls in the old covered market are the place
to look for something original, of excellent quality and value for
money. Sundays are busiest, with over 200 stalls operating, including
a specialist organic market. On weekdays between 11.00 and 16.00
the markets' varied stalls are quieter, except at lunchtime, when
the choice of eating places attracts the young City crowd.
Tube: Liverpool Street
Petticoat
Lane
Petticoat Lane is London's world famous Sunday market and sells
mainly clothes - for men, women and children, from street-cred clubwear
to over-orders of designer goods and last year's must-haves. One
of its specialities is leather wear and there's bric-a-brac and
household goods, too. The market is held in and around Middlesex
Street (there is no Petticoat Lane any more) and is open from 09.00
to -14.00 on Sundays, with a smaller market open from Monday-Friday.
Tube: Liverpool Street
Antique,
Craft, and Collector's Markets
Bayswater
Road Art Exhibition
At the Bayswater Road Art Exhibition over 250 artists and craftsmen
display their own original works. At almost a mile long, it is the
longest open air art exhibition in the world. Opening hours are
Sunday from 09.00 to 18.00. All displays are for sale at studio
prices.
Tube: Lancaster Gate and Queensway
Bermondsey
Market
Bermondsey (New Caledonian) Market is London's largest antique market,
attracting a huge number of dealers and collectors, so it's best
to get there early. It takes place every Friday from 05.00 to lunchtime.
It's on Bermondsey Square, SE1 in an up-and-coming area of south
London.
Tube: London Bridge/Bermondsey
Camden Markets
Camden Market is made up of several markets, including Camden Lock
Market, Stables Market and Camden Canal Market. You can find some
crafts, antiques and jewellery stalls. There are shops and stalls
open all week but the busiest times are Saturday and Sunday from
08. 00 to 18.00.
Tube: Camden Town or Chalk Farm
Camden Passage
At Camden Passage Market in Islington there's a myriad of small
shops and stalls selling antiques, silverware and jewellery. You
can buy antiques on Wednesday from 07.00 14.00 and on Saturday from
08.00 to 16.00. Books and prints are on sale on Thursday from 07.00
to 16.00. Camden Passage is off Upper Street, which is also a great
place to find cafes and bars.
Tube: Angel
Charing Cross
Collectors' Fair
Charing Cross Collectors' Fair sells all sorts of items for collectors,
including coins, banknotes, medals and stamps. It's open on Saturday
from 08.00 to 17.00 and the best time to visit is mid-morning. It's
in Villiers Street, just a short walk from Trafalgar Square.
Tube: Embankment or Charing Cross
Covent Garden
Market
Covent Garden Market has a good selection of original crafts stalls,
many of which are under cover. It's open daily from 09.00 17.00
or later in summer.
Tube: Covent Garden
Greenwich
Market
Greenwich Market sells a variety of traditional, hand-crafted goods.
The craft market is held at College Approach and the antiques market
is in Greenwich High Road. All the markets are open at the weekend
from 09.00 to 17.00.
Rail station: Greenwich
Tube: Cutty Sark
Merton Abbey
Mills Market
At Merton Abbey Mills Market there are crafts, antiques, jewellery
and all types of handmade goods, along with a variety of shops.
The craft village, complete with its own pub and waterwheel, is
open Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays from 10.00 to 17.00 with
a small number of shops and stalls open during the week. It's in
Watermill Way, off Merantun Way in South Wimbledon.
Tube: South Wimbledon and Colliers Wood
Old Spitalfields
Market
Old Spitalfields Market in Commercial Street has a history dating
back to the times of Charles II. It was a wholesale fruit and veg
market until 1992, after which it underwent a renaissance and is
now a treasure trove of quirky designer clothing, handmade furniture,
interior goods, houseware, antiques and crafts. It is best on Sundays.
Tube: Liverpool Street
Portobello
Road
The famous Portobello Road antiques and flea market in Notting Hill
takes place every Saturday from 07.00 to 18.00. It runs from Chepstow
Villas to just under the Westway and there is a huge range of specialist
dealers - selling books, posters, postcards, china, glass, jewellery,
paintings, porcelain etc etc.
Tube: Notting Hill Gate/Ladbroke Grove
