London Markets - Soulful Places

[Tai-pan]

For all the ladies on here that just can't resist a good market, and all the vinyl junkies still searching for that Shane Martin British Demo.

Here's a full guide to London's best markets. ENJOY!

Archway Market

Archway's tiny market sells organic foods, books, jewellery, fashion, handmade cards and oddities, with stallholders taking part in a recycling programme.

Holloway Rd and St John's Grove, N19. Archway tube. Thur 12noon-6pm (no food), Sat 10am-5pm .

Camden Markets

Wander past loitering goths and scowling punks to join the throng of tourists, locals and random celebs fighting it out at the vast and varied selection of shops and stalls.

Camden Market, 192-200 Camden High St, junction with Buck St, NW1 (020 7267 3417/www.camdenmarkets.org ). Camden Town tube. Daily 9.30am-5.30pm.

Camden Lock Market

Camden Lock Place, off Chalk Farm Rd, NW1 (020 7485 7963/www.camdenlockmarket.com). Camden Town tube. Mon-Wed, Fri-Sun 10am-6pm; Thur 10am-7pm.

Electric Ballroom

184 Camden High St, NW1 (020 7485 9006/www.electricballroom.co.uk). Camden Town tube. Fri, Sat 10am-3pm.

Stables Market

Off Chalk Farm Rd, opposite junction with Hartland Rd, NW1 (020 7485 5511/www.stablesmarket.com).

Camden Town tube. Daily 10am-6pm.

Chalton Street Market

Local market with almost 60 stalls selling the usual fruit, veg and cut-price fashion.

Chalton St, NW1. Euston tube/rail. Fri 9am-5pm.

Chapel Market

Decent fruit and veg, fish, household goods, clothes, cheap CD and card stalls line this unpretentious Islington street market.

Chapel St, N1. Angel tube. Tue-Sat 9am-6pm; Sun 8.30am-4pm.

Church Street

Although you can buy cheap fruit and veg all week, visit on Friday for fish and cheese, household goods, clothes and antiques. Also, check out Alfie's Antique Market (Nos 13-25) in an old art-deco department store, housing over 300 small specialist stalls.

Church St, NW8. Edgware Rd tube. Mon-Sat 8am-6pm.

Inverness Street Market

Vying for attention with Camden's many larger market sites, Inverness Street Market does a roaring trade. Look out for lunchtime snack vans with T-shirts and London souvenirs.

Inverness St, NW1. Camden Town tube. Mon-Sun 9am-5pm.

Nag's Head Market

Best for second-hand bargains

The legendary Nag's Head Market is packed with second-hand and antique finds, with a sprawling flea market on Sunday.

Seven Sisters Rd (junction with Eburne St), N7. Holloway Rd tube. General Mon, Tue, Thur 6am-5pm. Wed Second-hand & antiques 6am-3.30pm. New goods Fri 6am-5pm; Sat 6am-5.30pm. Flea Market Sun 7am-2pm.

Borough Market

London's oldest market - dating back to at least the thirteenth century - still attracts queues, but these days they're for rare-breed meat, fish and game or organic artisan loaves.

Southwark St, SE1 1TL (020 7407 1002/www.boroughmarket.org.uk). London Bridge tube/rail. Thur 11am-5pm; Fri 12noon-6pm; Sat 9am-4pm.

Cabbages & Frocks

Held in the cobbled yard of St Marylebone Parish Church, this market was started by food-loving fashionista Angela Cash. Stalls satisfy even the most demanding tastebuds, and there's a range of retro and vintage clothing too, plus work from independent designers and craftsmen and women.

St Marylebone Parish Church Grounds, Marylebone High St, W1 (020 7794 1636/www.cabbagesandfrocks.co.uk). Baker St tube. Sat 11am-5pm.

Berwick Street Market

This buzzy street market, in an area better known for its lurid, neon-lit trades, is one of London's oldest, dating back to 1778. It's great for seasonal produce, cheap fabric and indie record shops.

Berwick St, W1. Piccadilly Circus or Tottenham Court Rd tube. Mon-Sat 9am-6pm.

Earlham Street Market

Cheap street fashion, T-shirts, fresh juices and the excellent Wild Bunch flower stall.

Earlham St, WC2. Leicester Square tube. Mon-Sat 10am-4pm.

Marlene Cartwright, Leather Lane Market

Best for discount fashion

Popular, upbeat lunchtime market selling cut-price clothing and household items, plus flowers, gifts, fruit and veg. On our visit we spied brightly coloured leather gloves for £10, a family of slightly creepy Victorian dolls, Lyle & Scott cardies for £40 and Sass & Bide jeans for £30.

Leather Lane, between Greville St and Clerkenwell Rd, EC4 (www.leatherlanemarket.co.uk). Chancery Lane tube. Mon-Fri 10am-2.30pm.

Lower Marsh Market

A street market since Victorian times, there's some quality veg, women's clothes, decent jewellery and vintage shops.

Lower Marsh, from Westminster Bridge Rd to Baylis Rd, SE1 (020 7926 2530/www.lower-marsh.co.uk). Waterloo tube/rail. Mon-Thur 8am-6pm, Fri-Sat 8am-7pm .

South Bank Book Market

London's very own bouquinistes: endless second-hand books, maps and old prints on a collection of stalls on the South Bank.

Riverside Walk, outside BFI Southbank, under Waterloo Bridge, SE1. Waterloo tube/rail. Daily 12noon-7pm.

Whitecross Street

Best for lunchtime food

Whitecross Street Market started in 2007 as a monthly operation, but fast turned into a weekly event. An energetic collection of food stalls appears every Thursday and Friday, such as Luardo's, purveyor of Latin American street food, with its fluffy burritos, or Mario and Carol's Italian food stall, where an order of classic Roman-style grub comes with friendly banter.

Whitecross Weekly Food Market, Whitecross Street, EC1 (020 7378 0422/www.whitecrossstreetmarket.co.uk). Old Street tube/rail. Open 11am-5pm Thur, Fri.

Brixton Market

Outdoor market and several arcades of stalls selling exotic fruit and veg, halal meats, fish, clothes, fabrics, household goods, reggae CDs, crafts and wigs.

Electric Avenue, Pope's Road, Brixton Station Road, SW9 (020 7926 2530). Brixton tube/rail. Mon, Tue 10am-6pm; Wed 10am-4pm; Thur, Sat 10am-6pm.

Broadway Market & Tooting Market

Two popular indoor markets selling the usual goods, including Caribbean food; off Upper Tooting Road.

Upper Tooting Road, SW17. Tooting Bec tube. Mon, Tue, Thur 9am-5.30pm ; Fri, Sat 9am-6pm; Wed 9am-3pm.

Catford Market

Flowers, groceries, undies and more. Also check out the covered market within the shopping centre, with its fruit-and-veg stall and fishmonger van.

Catford Broadway, SE6. Catford Bridge rail. Mon, Thur-Sat 9am-4pm.

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Choumert Road Market

General market specialising in African and Caribbean food and hair products.

Choumert Rd, SE15. Peckham Rye rail. Mon-Sat 8am-5pm.

Deptford Market

As you wander through Deptford Market, sprawled out over Deptford High Street, Douglas Way and Giffin Square, look out for fresh fish, discount clothes, shoes, electronics, plants and gifts. Douglas Way on Saturdays is great for antiques and attic finds.

Douglas Way and Deptford High St, SE8. Deptford rail. Wed, Fri, Sat 9am-5pm.

East Street Market

Best for budget beauty

Friendly local market with a vast range of goods, from cheap fruit and veg to household goods, cosmetics and make-up, haberdashery, kids' clothes and toys and banter that will keep you entertained as you browse.

East St, SE17. Elephant & Castle tube/rail. Tue-Fri 8am-5pm; Sat 8am-6.30pm; Sun 8am-2pm.

Greenwich Market

Selling bric-a-brac, second-hand clothes, ethnic ornaments, CDs and crafts and jewellery galore at the weekends, Greenwich takes a different tack on Thursdays and Fridays, with an excellent antiques and collectables market. Thursday is best for unearthing unusual finds and offers a selection of stalls dealing in antique jewellery, vintage clothes, old books, music and collectibles.

Off College Approach, SE10 (weekdays 020 7515 7153; weekends 020 8293 3110/www.greenwichmarket.net). Greenwich rail/DLR or Cutty Sark DLR. Antiques & collectibles Mon-Tue, Thur-Sun 10am-5.30pm; Wed 11am-6pm. Village Market Stockwell St, Sat, Sun 8am-5pm. Arts and crafts Sat, Sun 9.30am-5.30pm.

Hildreth Street Market

A street market since the turn of the century, Hildreth Street comprises a small group of stalls selling fruit, veg and household goods.

Hildreth St, SW12. Balham tube/rail. Mon-Sat 8am-6pm.

Lewisham Market

Perched just outside the shopping centre, Lewisham Market sells fruit and veg and flowers - and on Sundays you can pick up toys and household goods.

Lewisham High St, SE14. Lewisham or Ladywell rail. Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm; Sun 9am-5pm.

New Covent Garden Market

Actually in Vauxhall, this large and lively market transferred from its original Covent Garden site in 1974. It boasts a good range of general stock including second-hand tat and music.

Nine Elms Lane, SW8. Vauxhall tube/rail. Sun 8am-2pm.

Northcote Road Market

Decent fruit and veg, flowers, ceramics, vintage clothes, plus the Antiques Market (No 155A; 020 7228 6850) and some excellent independent shops.

Northcote Rd, SW11. Clapham Junction rail or 319 bus. Mon-Sat 10am-6pm. Antiques 10am-6pm Mon-Sat; 12noon-5pm Sun.

Wimbledon Stadium Market

Popular Sunday market selling fruit and veg, clothing, household items, tools, bags and toys.

Plough Lane, SW17. Haydons Rd rail. Sun 9am-2pm.

Woolwich Market

With more than 100 stalls in the shadow of the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich Market dates back to the 1600s.

Beresford Square, SE18. Woolwich Arsenal rail. Mon-Wed 9am-4pm; Thur 9am-1pm; Fri, Sat 9am-4.30pm.

Bethnal Green Road Market

Street market competing rather well against Bethnal Green Road's giant Tesco. Pick up bedding, music, shoes and tat, fruit and veg.

Bethnal Green Rd, E2. Bethnal Green tube. Mon-Sat 8am-6pm.

Brick Lane Market

Tools, household goods and fruit and veg sold by the bowl are among the offerings at this busy East End market. Also worth a look are the fascinating makeshift stalls set up on blankets at the side of the road - dodgy old videos, broken dolls, CD players and dubiously acquired bicycles abound.

Brick Lane (north of railway bridge), Cygnet St, Sclater St, E1; Bacon St, Cheshire St, E2 (020 7364 1717). Aldgate East tube. Sun 8am-2pm.

Broadway Market

Best for people-watching

A destination for fashionably attired food-lovers with top-notch snacking options. It also has stalls selling vintage and new designer threads, old Vogue patterns, flowers and hand-knits. The shops, restaurants and pubs that line the street are good for a browse too - in particular the Broadway Bookshop (No 6) and artful retro store The Dog & Wardrobe around the corner at Unit 3B, Regent Studios, 8 Andrew's Road.

Broadway Market, E8 4QJ (07709 311869/www.broadwaymarket.co.uk). London Fields rail or 236, 394 bus. Sat 8.30am-4.30pm.

Chrisp Street Market

Originally a Victorian street market, pitches are now under a large canopy. Popular with locals on the look out for plants and fruit, clothes (including giant pants), bed linen and toys.

Chrisp St, E14. All Saints DLR. Mon-Sat 8am-6pm.

Columbia Road Flower Market

One of London's most visually appealing markets, Columbia Road overflows with bucketfuls of beautiful flowers, independent galleries and shops selling pottery, perfume and the like.

Columbia Rd, E2 (020 7364 1717). Bethnal Green tube, Liverpool St tube/rail or Old St tube/rail. Sun 8am-2pm.

Hoxton Street Market

A few hundred metres off the gentrified Hoxton Square lies Hoxton Street Market with its cheap fruit and veg, gifts, bedding and more. Also check out the Hoxton Trust Community Garden (opposite Iceland).

Hoxton St, N1. Old St tube. Mon-Sat 9am-5pm (although most stalls had packed up by 2.30pm on our Thursday afternoon visit).

Petticoat Lane Market

Cheap clothes, leather, luggage, toys and electronic goods, but good for the odd one-off bargain.

Middlesex St, Goulston St, New Goulston St, Toynbee St, Wentworth St, Bell Lane, Cobb St, Leyden St, Strype St, E1 (020 7364 1717/www.towerhamlets.gov.uk). Aldgate East tube or Liverpool St tube/rail. Mon-Fri 8am-4pm (Goulston St, Toynbee St and Wentworth St only); Sun 9am-2pm.

Ridley Road Market

Best for exotic food

Everything from domestic and exotic fruit and veg, fish and meat to cheap clothes, household goods, toys, bric-a-brac and fabrics from Africa and India.

Ridley Rd, off Kingsland High St, E8. Dalston Kingsland rail or 30, 38, 56, 67, 76, 149, 236, 242, 243, 277 bus. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat 9am-5.30pm.

Roman Road Market

Cheap gear rules here, from underwear to shoes. You'll also find homewares (towels, bedlinen) and lots of fruit and veg.

Roman Rd, between Parnell Rd and St Stephen's Rd, E3 (020 7364 1717). Bow Rd, Mile End or Bethnal Green tube or 8, S2 bus. Tue, Thur, Sat 8am-6pm.

Queen's Market

An extensive range of veg, fish, ethnic fabrics, CDs, homewares and hair products.

Off the junction of Green St and Queen's Rd, E13. Upton Park tube. Tue-Sat 9am-6pm.

Spitalfields Market

Redevelopment hasn't quite altered the atmosphere of this East End stalwart, even though the covered market - built in 1887 - clashes with its modern shopping-precinct neighbour.

Commercial St, between Lamb St and Brushfield St, E1 (020 7247 8556/www.visitspitalfields.com). Liverpool St tube/rail. General Mon-Fri 10am-4pm; Sun 9am-5pm. Antiques Thur 9am-4pm. Food Wed, Fri, Sun 10am-5pm. Fashion Fri 10am-4pm. Records & books 1st & 3rd Wed of mth 10am-4pm.

(Up) Market

Best for new designers

Another good reason to head out east on Sundays (and easily combined with a trip to nearby Spitalfields or Brick Lane Markets), the Old Truman Brewery's buzzy (Up)Market boasts some 140 stalls toting edgy fashion from young designers (many fresh from fashion college), vintage gear, gifts, art and crafts and well-priced jewellery. Food stalls offer everything from cupcakes to rich Ethiopian coffee, Japanese yakisoba, tapas and dim sum.

91 Brick Lane, The Old Truman Brewery (entrances on Brick Lane & Hanbury St), E1 6QL (020 7770 6100/www.sundayupmarket.co.uk). Liverpool St tube/rail. Sun 10am-5pm.

Walthamstow Market

This is the longest market in Europe, with loads of fruit-and-veg stalls, a good selection of Asian and Caribbean products, fabric, flowers and more.

Walthamstow High St, E17 (020 8496 2880). Walthamstow Central tube/rail. Tue-Sat 8am-5pm.

Well Street Market

Small, busy local market packed with bargains, with stallholders directly competing with a branch of Tesco Metro which looms over them.

Well St (Morning Lane to Valentine Rd), E9. Homerton rail. Mon-Sat 8.30am-5pm.

Whitechapel Market

Stretching between Vallance Road and Cambridge Heath Road, lively Whitechapel Market has every type of speciality Asian ingredient and spice you'll ever need.

Whitechapel Rd (Vallance Rd to Cambridge Heath Rd), E1. Whitechapel tube. Mon-Sat 8am-6pm.

Shepherd's Bush market

Market A local market since the 1880s selling fresh fruit and veg, fish, cheese and olives.

North End Rd (Walham Grove to Lillie Rd), SW6. Fulham Broadway tube. Mon-Sat 9am-6pm.

Portobello Road Market

Portobello is actually several markets rolled into one: antiques start at the Notting Hill Gate end (between Chepstow Villas and Elgin Crescent); further up are food stalls (between Elgin Crescent and Talbot Road); and emerging designer and vintage clothes are found under the Westway.

Portobello Rd, W10 & W11 (020 7727 3649/www.rbkc.gov.uk/streettrading). Ladbroke Grove or Notting Hill Gate tube. General Mon-Wed Fri-Sat 8am-6.30pm; Thur 8am-1pm. Antiques Fri, Sat 8am-6.30pm.

Queen's Crescent Market

Often overlooked in favour of its bigger, goth-tinged neighbours, Queen's Crescent is one of Camden's oldest markets, and within walking distance of Parliament Hill Fields and Primrose Hill.

Queen's Crescent (Grafton Road to Malden Road), NW5. Chalk Farm tube. Thur, Sat 9am-5pm.Shepherd's Bush Market

There's a fantastic range of ethnic foodstuffs (Indian, Caribbean, African and Polish) at this gritty, multicultural market.

East side of railway viaduct between Uxbridge Rd and Goldhawk Rd, W12. Goldhawk Rd or Shepherd's Bush tube. Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat 8.30am-6pm; Thur 8.30am-1pm.

Southall Market

A cross between a traditional market and a visit to India: fresh produce, spices and sari fabrics. The poultry and horse markets have now closed, after 300 years of trade.

High St, opposite North Rd, Southall, UB1 (020 8943 0979). Southall rail. General Sat 9am-5pm. Furniture Fri 6am-12noon.

Wembley Market

The largest Sunday market in the UK, this sells almost anything, from fresh food and household goods.

Wembley Market, Stadium Car Park, Wembley, HA9 (www.wembleymarket.co.uk). Wembley Stadium rail. Sun 9am-4pm.