Earlham Street Market

Earlham Street Market
	A hat stall on Earlham Street market
Location	Covent Garden, Camden, Greater London
Coordinates	51°30′50″N0°07′34″W / 51.5138°N 0.1261°W
Address	Earlham Street
Opening date	1710(314 years ago)
Management	Camden London Borough Council
Owner	Camden London Borough Council
Environment	Outdoor
Goods sold	General goods, food
Days normally open	Monday–Saturday
Number of tenants	24
Website	www.camden.gov.uk/markets
	Earlham Street Market Location in London Borough of Camden

Last updated February 19, 2024

Earlham Street Market is a street market in situated in the Seven Dials area of Covent Garden on a short road between Shaftesbury Avenue and Monmouth Street. Licences to trade are issued by Camden London Borough Council.

History

Early history (1710–1867)

The street was completed in 1710 and it is likely that the market dates from then.^[2] Unregulated street markets allowed London to grow explosively in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The traders could move easily to the new population centres and enabled people to buy provisions without having to travel to the central London wholesale markets. In the early morning traders would load their barrows at the wholesale markets, clean and sort the goods, and then sell them in the new suburban streets. In many cases, the sites of these markets became London's modern high streets.

Management by the police (1867–1927)

In 1867, section six of the Metropolitan Streets Act effectively prohibited street trading. Following public meetings and press criticism, the act was amended within weeks. Section one of the Metropolitan Streets Act Amendment Act 1867 exempted traders but they were now subject to regulation by the police.^[3]

In 1877 Adolphe Thompson describes the market as crowded with traders and being between the Seven Dials and Five Dials (now demolished to make way for Shaftesbury Avenue).^[4]

In 1892 the market consisted of 41 stalls of which 12 were operated by shopkeepers and the remainder by independent street traders. The market was greatly diminished from its former size.

The Market is described as "having existed beyond memory" and being "a marketing centre for the district".^[5]

Management by local councils (1927–present)

Metropolitan Borough of Holborn (1927–1965)

The London County Council (General Powers) Act 1927 replaced police regulation with a new licensing regime administered by metropolitan borough councils.^[6] From 1927 to 1965 the market was managed by the Metropolitan Borough of Holborn.

London Borough of Camden (1965–present)

In 1965 the Borough of Holborn was abolished and its area became part of the London Borough of Camden.

Perlmutter records the market having 22 pitches in 1983 but that they were largely unoccupied. He lists fresh seafood, antiques, and vintage records for sale.^[7]

In the mid-1990s the market is described as consisting of 12 stalls selling army surplus, clothing new and second hand, wooden toys, and recorded music.^[2]

Transport

Bus

Bus Routes 14, 19, 24, 29, and 176.

Railway and tube

The nearest stations are Covent Garden and Leicester Square.

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Earlham Street is a street in Covent Garden, in the London Borough of Camden that runs from Shaftesbury Avenue in the west to Neal Street in the east, crossing Seven Dials midway, where it intersects with Monmouth Street, Mercer Street, and Shorts Gardens. Tower Street and Tower Court join it on its south side.

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Plender Street Market is an outdoor street market in Camden, North London. Licences to trade are issued by Camden London Borough Council.

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Leather Lane Market is an outdoor street market in the Holborn area of the London Borough of Camden. Taking place on Leather Lane, it is the oldest street market in Camden. Licences to trade are issued by Camden London Borough Council.

References

↑ "Earlham Street Market". The National Market Traders Federation. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
1 2 Harriss, Phil (1996). London Markets (1st ed.). London: Cadogan Books. pp. 35–37. ISBN 1-86011-040-1.
↑ Metropolitan Streets Act Amendment Act 1867 (section one)]. London: HMSO. 1867.
↑ Smith, Adolphe & Thomson, John (1877). Street Life in London. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington. pp. 58–59.
↑ Public Control Committee (1893). "Appendix B". London Markets, Special Report of the Public Control Committee Relative to Existing Markets and Market Rights and as to the Expediency of Establishing New Markets in or Near the Administrative County of London (Report). London: London County Council. p. 44.
↑ Kelley, Victoria (2019). Cheap Street: London's Street Markets and the Cultures of Informality, c. 1850–1939. Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 39.
↑ Perlmutter, Kevin (1983). London Street Markets (1st ed.). Worcester: Billing & Sons. p. 53. ISBN 0-7045-0462-6.

External links

Camden Council's street markets page, the operator of Earlham Street Market
Earlham Street Market—National Market Traders Federation

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[1] "Earlham Street Market". The National Market Traders Federation. Retrieved 20 July 2020.

[harriss-2] 1 2 Harriss, Phil (1996). London Markets (1st ed.). London: Cadogan Books. pp. 35–37. ISBN 1-86011-040-1.

[3] Metropolitan Streets Act Amendment Act 1867 (section one)]. London: HMSO. 1867.

[4] Smith, Adolphe & Thomson, John (1877). Street Life in London. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington. pp. 58–59.

[5] Public Control Committee (1893). "Appendix B". London Markets, Special Report of the Public Control Committee Relative to Existing Markets and Market Rights and as to the Expediency of Establishing New Markets in or Near the Administrative County of London (Report). London: London County Council. p. 44.

[6] Kelley, Victoria (2019). Cheap Street: London's Street Markets and the Cultures of Informality, c. 1850–1939. Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 39.

[7] Perlmutter, Kevin (1983). London Street Markets (1st ed.). Worcester: Billing & Sons. p. 53. ISBN 0-7045-0462-6.

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v t e Markets in London
Historic	Old Billingsgate Covent Garden Cumberland Market Farringdon Fleet Hungerford Market Leadenhall Metropolitan Cattle Smithfield Old Spitalfields Stratford
Noted	Bermondsey Borough Brick Lane Camden Lock Camden Passage Columbia Road Greenwich Petticoat Lane Portobello Road
Historic charter	Barking Barnet Croydon (Surrey Street) Romford Uxbridge
Local	Backyard Berwick Street The Blue Broadway Brixton Chalton Street Chapel Chrisp Street Deptford Earlham Street East Street Edmonton Green Exmouth Goodge Place Inverness Street Leather Lane Lower Marsh Merton Abbey Mills Plender Street Queen's Queen's Crescent Rathbone Ridley Road Shepherd's Bush Strutton Ground Sunday UpMarket Swiss Cottage Walthamstow
Modern wholesale	Billingsgate Fish New Covent Garden New Spitalfields Smithfield Western International