Stall Stories: The Reinvention Of One Of London’s Oldest Quarters

19.03.2024 - 06:01 / forbes.com

From the first-of-its-kind hair salon by Amazon to cult jewellery at Astrid & Miyu, wander around Spitalfields, with its polished boutiques and pedestrian walkways, and you’d be hard-pressed to imagine this quarter of London back in the 13^th century when it first started life as a market.

But this area, found on the cusp of the City of London, has continuously embraced regeneration and change. Its latest evolution is the result of an 18-month renovation programme by the Spitalfields Estate, costing £15 million, which ushers in a new chapter for one of the most historic parts of the Capital.

For most of its life, the original Old Spitalfields Market was known as a food market, selling livestock, fruit and vegetables. In 1991, what was by then a wholesale market for produce moved to a new site in Leyton—and renamed New Spitalfields Market. Following a redesign by leading architects, Foster and Partners, in 2017, Old Spitalfields built further on its reputation for having an independent spirit, with its cluster of stylish boutiques and an innovative trader’s market to showcase makers and artisans, with many stalls selling hand-crafted fashion, jewellery and homewares.

“Now, in this next phase, the most recent investment has seen the surrounding Lamb Street, Market Street and Bishops Square Gardens reimagined, in order to build on Spitalfields’ market identity,” says Ray Dervin, Spitalfields’ Market & Events manager. “For many years, the market at Spitalfields was a major location for fresh produce focused predominantly on wholesale fresh fruit and vegetables, with an adjacent flower market in Lamb Street. Now, Lamb Street consists of 10 amazing street-food kiosks, while Market Street has been transformed into a shopping street. The whole feel is vibrant and forward-thinking.”

The market’s food trucks, found on Crispin Street and Lamb Street, are perhaps the most indicative of the area’s cosmopolitan and inclusive nature, something that has been sewn into Spitalfields’ history. From the Jollof Rice-based dishes of 2 Nigerian Boys, on Lamb Street, to the Indian street food of Mr Bombay, on Crispin Place, (think: Tandoori Chicken & Masala Paneer Naan Wraps, Karahi Chicken and Tadka Dahl)—Spitalfields has a plethora of food choices. These sellers and makers of gourmet food, whether it is the speciality Japanese coffee at Arabica or the fresh Italian pasta dishes at Chi Chi and the Pasta Family, are a reflection of the melting-pot nature that constitutes this area of London.

Spitalfields’ name derives from the hospital and priory, St. Mary’s Spittel, which was founded in 1197, and the place where the market started in an adjacent field. Known for its strong sense of community, its roots lie in a number of