Location | Bermondsey, Southwark, Greater London |
---|---|
Coordinates | 51°29′51″N0°04′52″W / 51.4974°N 0.0811°W |
Address | Bermondsey Square |
Opening date | 1950 |
Management | BAM 2021 Ltd |
Owner | Southwark London Borough Council |
Environment | Outdoor |
Goods sold | Antiques, collectables, vintage, jewellery, silver & gold |
Days normally open | Friday |
Parking | On street |
Bermondsey Market (also known as New Caledonian Market and Bermondsey Square Antiques Market) is an antiques market at Bermondsey Square on Tower Bridge Road in Bermondsey, south London, England. The location was formerly the site of Bermondsey Abbey.
The market still opens every Friday, trading from early morning until 2pm and is the oldest antiques market/event in the UK.
The 15th century English Queen Consort of Edward IV, Elizabeth Woodville, lived her last five years in Bermondsey Abbey, dying in 1492.
The Caledonian Market moved to its current location in 1950 after the old Caledonian Market site in Islington was designated for redevelopment in the late 1940s. [1]
The opening hours of the Bermondsey Market from 6am until noon (some sources say 4am until 2pm) reflect the ancient law of market ouvert, which was abolished in 1995. [2] Under this law, in a number of designated markets, including Bermondsey Market, if an item was sold between sunrise and sunset then its provenance could not be questioned, so stolen goods could be traded and good title would pass to the purchaser. [3] To quote Minister for the Arts Estelle Morris in July 2003 during the Second Reading of the Dealing In Cultural Objects (Offences) Bill:
In 2007 redevelopment of the site to build a hotel, apartments and offices started. Whilst the antique market continued, due to space availability, it was greatly reduced to a few dozen stallholders, a far cry from the normal 200+! Sadly, many regulars, needing a regular and reliable income relocated to other markets and fairs. For the next 10-12 years, some stallholders returned and 80+ stall days were not uncommon.
Early 2020 brought us Covid-19 and, following many months of lockdown and the market closure, a new, dedicated business, BAM 2021 Ltd, was created to take over the management and development of the market from Southwark Council.
The average age of antique & collectors stall holders is generally quite high and Bermondsey was probably well above that average. In some cases, the market has seen three generations of families tending their pitches. During COVID, some regulars took it as a sign that retirement was a good idea and, sadly several were lost for medical reasons.
In April 2021, the market reopened, welcoming back 50+ stallholders, however, the joy was short lived, as building works to replace the surrounding buildings exterior cladding started. For over a year, this reduced the available market space to circa 20 outdoor stalls.
Today, the market regularly attracts 30+ stall holders and with plans to give the market fixtures and fittings a well needed upgrade, 2025 brings the markets 75th anniversary, which will be celebrated for many months across the year.
Bermondsey antiques market refuses to quit or lie down. It battles on and despite blows that would have felled many others, it continues to surprise and delight. It remains a work in progress, but after years of hard slog it is finally getting the recognition it deserves, reinventing itself for the 21st century and looking forward to a great future as an old part of a new Bermondsey.
Southwark is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed due to its position at the southern end of the early versions of London Bridge, for centuries the only dry crossing on the river. Around 43 AD, engineers of the Roman Empire found the geographic features of the south bank here suitable for the placement and construction of the first bridge.
Bermondsey is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham, and to the north is Wapping across the River Thames. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Surrey. During the Industrial Revolution Bermondsey became a centre for manufacturing, particularly in relation to tanning. More recently it has experienced regeneration including warehouse conversions to flats and the provision of new transport links.
The London Borough of Southwark in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas were amalgamated under the London Government Act 1963. All districts of the area are within the London postal district. It is governed by Southwark London Borough Council.
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural towns with a hinterland of villages are still commonly called market towns, as sometimes reflected in their names.
East Dulwich is an area of South East London, England in the London Borough of Southwark. It forms the eastern part of Dulwich, with Peckham to the east and Camberwell to the north. East Dulwich is home to the Dog Kennel Hill statue. This South London suburb was first developed in the nineteenth century on land owned by the College of God's Gift.
East Street Market also known locally as 'East Street', 'The Lane', or 'East Lane', is a street market in Walworth in South East London.
The Camden markets are a number of adjoining large retail markets, often collectively referred to as Camden Market or Camden Lock, located in the historic former Pickfords stables, in Camden Town, London. It is situated north of the Hampstead Road Lock of the Regent's Canal. Famed for their cosmopolitan image, products sold on the stalls include crafts, clothing, books, bric-a-brac, and fast food. It is the fourth-most popular visitor attraction in London, attracting approximately 250,000 people each week.
Car boot sales or boot fairs are a form of market in which private individuals come together to sell household and garden goods. They are popular in the United Kingdom, where they are often referred to simply as 'car boots'.
Tooley Street is a road in central and south London connecting London Bridge to St Saviour's Dock; it runs past Tower Bridge on the Southwark/Bermondsey side of the River Thames, and forms part of the A200 road.
The Metropolitan Cattle Market, just off the Caledonian Road in the parish of Islington was built by the City of London Corporation and was opened in June 1855 by Prince Albert. The market was supplementary to the meat market at Smithfield and was established to remove the difficulty of managing live cattle at that latter site.
Bermondsey Abbey was an English Benedictine monastery. Although generally regarded as having been founded in the 11th century, it had a precursor mentioned in the early 8th century. It was centred on what is now Bermondsey Square, the site of Bermondsey Market, Bermondsey, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast London, England.
The London Government Act 1963 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which created Greater London and a new local government structure within it. The Act significantly reduced the number of local government districts in the area, resulting in local authorities responsible for larger areas and populations. The upper tier of local government was reformed to cover the whole of the Greater London area and with a more strategic role; and the split of functions between upper and lower tiers was recast. The Act classified the boroughs into inner and outer London groups. The City of London and its corporation were essentially unreformed by the legislation. Subsequent amendments to the Act have significantly amended the upper tier arrangements, with the Greater London Council abolished in 1986, and the Greater London Authority introduced in 2000. As of 2024, the London boroughs are more or less identical to those created in 1965, although with some enhanced powers over services such as waste management and education.
North Laine is a shopping and residential district of Brighton, on the English south coast. Once a slum area, it is now seen as Brighton's bohemian and cultural quarter, with many pubs, cafés, theatres and museums.
Alfred Salter was a British medical practitioner and Labour Party politician.
A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a souk, bazaar, a fixed mercado (Spanish), itinerant tianguis (Mexico), or palengke (Philippines). Some markets operate daily and are said to be permanent markets while others are held once a week or on less frequent specified days such as festival days and are said to be periodic markets. The form that a market adopts depends on its locality's population, culture, ambient, and geographic conditions. The term market covers many types of trading, such as market squares, market halls, food halls, and their different varieties. Thus marketplaces can be both outdoors and indoors, and in the modern world, online marketplaces.
Sungei Road is a road in Singapore situated between Serangoon Road and Jalan Besar and runs along the Rochor Canal. The area around Sungei Road formerly housed affluent Europeans and Asians, and many ornately designed buildings were built there. Since the 1930s, the road has been synonymous with Sungei Road laksa and the Thieves' Market, the largest and oldest flea market in Singapore, where locals can shop for old bric-a-brac or second-hand goods. The market was permanently closed on 10 July 2017 for "future residential development use".
Salamanca Market is a street market in Salamanca Place, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Market overt or marché ouvert is an English legal concept originating in medieval times governing subsequent ownership of stolen goods. The rule was abolished in England and Wales in 1994 but it is still good law in some common law jurisdictions such as Hong Kong and British Columbia.
Maltby Street Market is a weekly street-food and provisions market in Bermondsey, southeast London, England. The market is located on a street of the same name near Tower Bridge in the old Horselydown parish of Bermondsey.