TO MARKET, TO MARKET
STREET SHOPPING
ALFIES ANTIQUE MARKET
The capital’s largest indoor antiques market is home to around 100 clued-up dealers, all of whom can give you a history lesson on the provenance of any item that may catch your eye. Opened in 1976 by Bennie Gray – who also owns Gray’s Antiques in Mayfair – the former Art Deco department store now serves as a sprawling network of fine furniture and art split across four levels. You’ll find early twentieth-century fashion and vintage trunks at Leslie Verrinder’s Tin Tin Collectables on the first floor, and 1940s costume jewellery at Tony Durante, or seek out Dodo’s around the corner for 1920s ad posters. Prices aren’t throwaway, but neither is the stock – Alfies is a place for sourcing top tier antiques, not browsing ten-a-penny bric-a-brac. Plus there is ample opportunity to consider your investment over a cup of tea and slice of Victoria sponge at its humble rooftop café.
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13-25 Church Street, NW8 8DT.
Open Tuesday–Saturday.
020 7723 6066
BROADWAY MARKET
Hackney residents with a taste for local produce make the weekly pilgrimage to Broadway Market to stock up on biodynamic wine and Violet bakery éclairs with a Climpson & Sons cold brew in hand. Neighbouring Netil Market on Westgate Street is also a hive for local designers on Saturday, with wares including hand-poured candles by Earl of East London.
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Broadway Market, London E8 4QJ.
Open Saturday.
No phone.
PORTOBELLO ROAD
This must-see on the tourist map is formed of many mini markets which span one long stretch of road. Start at Notting Hill Gate to browse silverware and antiques, travel further down to find food stalls before finishing with vintage fashion under the Westway flyover. Head out as early as the traders to beat the Saturday crowds, or visit on a Friday to source the best from emerging designers.
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Portobello Road, W10 5TA.
Open Monday–Saturday.
020 7727 7684
WEST NORWOOD FEAST
This neighbourhood market-cum-social enterprise is powered by volunteers and was launched to give SE27 a boost. It is spread across several sites: exit West Norwood station to find Retro Village’s vintage fashion and furnishings, keep walking to the kid-centric Family Hub, get some grub at the high street Food Fair, before reaching the crafty Artisans’ Market on Norwood Road.
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Norwood Road, SE27 0HS.
Open the first Sunday of every month.
No phone.
CAMDEN MARKET
Camden’s colourful collection of markets are as eclectic as the characters that stalk them. The market proper (on the Buck Street junction) is a busy jumble of club wear and graphic t-shirts; Stables Market offers vintage fashion bolt holes; while the pretty riverside Camden Lock provides everything from home furnishings to cool kidswear. Be ready to join the rabble if you venture there on a Saturday.
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Camden Lock Place, NW1 8AF.
Open daily.
020 3763 9900
SPITALFIELDS
This East End stalwart – once a Sunday special, now a seven-day operation – centres on a different theme each day, from antiques on a Thursday to a retro extravaganza on Saturdays. The vibrant weekend Backyard Market and the Sunday UpMarket are close by on Brick Lane’s Truman Brewery. Note: Queues for the ATM are long, but worth the wait for the cockney translation.
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Brushfield Street, E1 6AA.
Open daily.
020 7377 1496
BOROUGH MARKET
London’s most famous foodie thoroughfare is also the oldest, celebrating its millennial year in 2014. It is the busiest too, with street food vendors and stalls piled high with rare-breed meat, artisanal cheese and seasonal veg, all bringing in a constant stream of shoppers on the hunt for a gastronomic adventure. Arrive early and bring your appetite.
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8 Southwark Street, SE1 1TL.
Open Monday–Saturday.
020 7407 1002
MALTBY STREET MARKET
Along with a tasty cache of street food vendors, this bustling weekend market is also home to the Little Bird Gin bar and St John Bakery who have settled in under its railway arches. Follow the tracks down to nearby Spa Terminus to find producers including The Kernel Brewery and Mons Cheese who open up their workshops to shoppers on Saturdays.
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Ropewalk, SE1 3PA.
Open Saturday–Sunday.
No phone.
BOXPARK
This modern mall constructed from shipping containers landed underneath Shoreditch High Street underground station in 2011 and boasts an ever-changing roster of compact concessions. Current favourites include cool clogs from Swedish Hasbeens, minimalist Scandi jewels at Pärla and rustic tableware by Decorum. Cult makeup bag swag is also up for grabs at BeautyMART, while the steady-handed staff at Imarni Nails will deliver killer nail art in no time. It caters to hunger pangs too, since the top deck is home to a wealth of tasty treats and tipples, from Cotton’s Rhum Shack and Falafelicious, to Dalston’s pizza-by-the-slice emporium Voodoo Ray. Boxpark also has a second site that holds bragging rights to 42 bars and restaurants in Croydon’s formerly derelict Ruskin Square.
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2–10 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6GY.
Open daily.
020 7033 2899
GREENWICH MARKET
The first thing that hits you upon entering Greenwich Market is the aroma, as spicy Punjabi curries jostle for airtime with fryer-fresh chips and sexed-up burgers. But this compact covered market is a treat for the eyes too, with its World Heritage Site surroundings and crafty paraphernalia. Browse the assorted knick-knacks before checking out the Cutty Sark or heading to the Meantime Brewery for a patriotic pale ale.
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5B Greenwich Market, SE10 9HZ.
Open daily.
020 8269 5096