London’s iconic meat and fish market, which has served the community for 900 years, will face closure in 2028.
Smithfield Meat Market, located near St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Billingsgate Fish Market in Canary Wharf have been labelled iconic London landmarks. They are a part of British history and culture and have served the community for 900 years. But after all this time, their servitude to the community will end.
The City of London Corporation has announced the historic fish and meat market will be closing. This is due to their decision to withdraw their support and vote ultimately on closure.
The corporation owns and operates the central London site of the centuries-old market. Originally, they had plans to relocate the market to a new site in Dagenham, east London. The site is worth £1 billion.
The decision to close the markets and offer traders compensation was made by the Corporation’s Court of Common Council.
The corporation will now have to file a private bill in Parliament as it seeks to absolve itself of the legal responsibility of running the markets.
It said traders would be able to continue their operations at the markets until at least 2028.
But after reviewing the “financial sustainability” of the relocation, the court of common (which is the main decision-making body for the corporation) made their decision. They voted to pull out of running the sites.
The Market History
Smithfield is the largest wholesale meat market in the UK. Additionally, it is one of the biggest in Europe. Located in London, it is one of the city’s oldest and most iconic markets. Dated back to the mediaeval period, it became an official livestock market in 1327 under the reign of Edward III.
But health concerns regarding the hygiene and overcrowding led to its closure. But through this was the birth of Smithfield Meat Market in 1868. The market was designed by Horace Jones.
