Chalton Street Market

Chalton Street Market is a street market in Camden, North London.

Chalton Street Market
The Brill Market in Somers Town, London—1858
LocationSomers Town, Camden, Greater London
Coordinates51.528705°N 0.129149°W / 51.528705; -0.129149
AddressChalton Street
Opening date1795
ManagementCamden London Borough Council
OwnerCamden London Borough Council
EnvironmentOutdoor
Goods soldFashion, Food, Household Goods
Days normally openFriday
Websitecamden.gov.uk/markets

History

Established circa 1795 (as The Brill).

In 1784 the first housing was built at Somers Town, London and by 1795 the streets around the market were fully laid out.[1] The Market probably started at this time. Less than sixty years later Henry Mayhew lists a 300 pitch market on Chapel Street,[2] the second largest street market in London after Hampstead Road and Tottenham Court Road.

The market was named The Brill after the Brill House tavern at the western end of the street.[3] Chapel Street is now an access way through Levita House and continues west into Drummond Crescent as Churchway. Half of Chapel Street and, at its eastern end, the Brill House are now beneath the site of the British Library.

Mayhew describes a market selling fruit & veg, confectionary, meat and fish, as well as crockery, clothing, and stationary.[2]

By 1887 the former site of the market had been demolished to make way for the Midlands Railway Good Depot:

The Brill has been swept away by the Midland Railway Company, but the hucksters have taken possession of the neighbouring streets, and Somers Town is almost as crowded and noisy as ever on Saturday nights.[4]

In 1893, Chalton Street Market is described as comprising 97 stalls on a Friday and 32 on a Saturday selling food as well as clothing and second-hand goods.[5]

Henry Croft, the founder of the tradition of Pearly Kings and Queens[6] was born in St Pancras Workhouse, Somers Town in 1861. Though he was a road sweeper rather than a costermonger, his colourful style of raising money for charity has influenced cockney market traders down to this day illustrated by a parade of Pearly Kings and Queens at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Modern market

The Market is in operation on Fridays from 10:30 am to 3pm between the junction of Chalton Street and Weir's Passage in the South and the junction of Chalton Street and Phoenix Road in the North with a small number of stalls selling clothing, household goods, and fresh food. Licences to trade are issued by Camden London Borough Council.

The START (Somers Town Art) Festival of Cultures is held on the second Saturday in July, on the site of the market. It is the biggest street festival in the Camden borough and attracts about 10,000 people, bringing together the area's diverse cultural communities.[7]

Transport

Bus

Bus Routes 30, 73, 91, 205, and 390 serve Euston Road from the stop outside of the British Library. Bus Routes 168 and 253 serve Euston Station.

Railway and tube

The nearest stations are Euston railway station, Euston tube station, Euston Square tube station, Euston Square tube station, London King's Cross railway station, and King's Cross St Pancras tube station.

References
  1. Cary, John. Cary’s New And Accurate Plan of London and Westminster the Borough of Southwark and parts Adjacent: viz. Kensington, Chelsea, Islington, Hackney, Walworth, Newington &c. with an Alphabetical List of upwards of 500 of the most principal Streets, John Cary—Map & Print-seller London, 1795. Retrieved on 1 May 2020.
  2. Mayhew, Henry. London Labour and the London Poor; a cyclopædia of the condition and earnings of those that will work, those that cannot work, and those that will not work (Vol. I), p.11, London, 1851. Retrieved on 1 May 2020.
  3. Walford, Edward. Old and New London (Vol. V), pp. 340-355, Cassell, Petter & Galpin, London, 1878. Retrieved on 1 May 2020.
  4. Wheatley, Henry Benjamin. London, Past and Present; its history, associations, and traditions (Vol. II), p.581, John Murray, London, 1891. Retrieved on 1 May 2020.
  5. Public Control Committee. London: London County Council. 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, London County Council, p.6, London, 1893.
  6. Davenport, Bob. Henry Croft: The Original Pearly King, Studied Monuments, 2015. Retrieved on 1 May 2020.
  7. The START (Somers Town Art) Festival of Cultures. Retrieved on 1 May 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.