From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Billingsgate Fish Market
Billingsgate Fish Market
language.[4] One of its earliest uses can be seen in a 1577
chronicle by Raphael Holinshed, where the writer makes
reference to the foul tongues of Billingsgate oyster-
wives.
The market is depicted during Tudor times in Rose-
mary Sutcliff’s 1951 children’s historical novel The Ar-
mourer’s House.
Billingsgate Market is open from Tuesday to Satur-
day. Trading commences at 0500hrs and finishes at
0830hrs. Security for the market is provided by the Mar-
ket Constabulary.[5]
The original open air Billingsgate Fish Market in the early 19th
century. Boats delivered fish to this small inlet of the Thames
and business was conducted on the quayside.
Situated in East London, Billingsgate Fish Market is
the United Kingdom’s largest inland fish market. It takes
its name from Billingsgate, a ward in the south-east of
the City of London, where the riverside market was orig-
inally established. In its original location in the 19th cen-
tury, Billingsgate was the largest fish market in the • The interior in 1876.
world.[1]
Billingsgate Wharf, close to Lower Thames Street, be-
came the centre of a fish market during the 16th and 17th
centuries, but did not become formally established until
an Act of Parliament in 1699.[2] In 1849, the fish market
was moved off the streets into its own riverside build-
ing, designed by J.B. Bunning and built by John Jay, which
was demolished circa 1873 and replaced by an arcaded
market hall (designed by City architect Sir Horace Jones)
and built by John Mowlem & Co. in 1875.[3] This building,
known as Old Billingsgate Market, is now used as a corpo-
rate events venue.
In 1982, the fish market was relocated to a new • Billingsgate’s former premises in the City of London
13-acre (53,000 m²) building complex close to Canary in 1876.
Wharf in Docklands. Most of the fish sold through the • Billingsgate Market’s former premises in 2006.
market now arrives there by road, from ports as far afield • Billingsgate Market 2007
as Aberdeen and Cornwall. As of 2005, a review of the • Billingsgate Market 2010
London wholesale markets was underway which may
lead to the closure of Billingsgate (and the Smithfield
meat market), as it is considered by some that it would be See also
better to have a smaller number of markets all selling a • Worshipful Company of Fishmongers
full range of fresh produce, rather than separate special-
ist markets.
The infamously coarse language of London fishmon-
gers made "Billingsgate" a byword for crude or vulgar
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Billingsgate Fish Market
[2] ’William III, 1698: An Act for making Billingsgate a
Free Market for Sale of Fish. [Chapter XIII. Rot.
Parl. 10 Gul. III. p.3. n.4.]’, Statutes of the Realm:
volume 7: 1695-1701 (1820), pp. 513-14 accessed: 9
March 2007.
[3] History of Billingsgate accessed 21 May 2007
[4] Word of the Day Archive - Monday June 12, 2006
accessed 21 May 2007
[5] "Billingsgate Market > About Billingsgate". City of
London website. City of London.
http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/
LGNL_Services/Business/Markets/
Billingsgate+Market/about_billingsgate.htm.
Retrieved 2 March 2011.
References External links
• Official Billingsgate Market page from the City of
[1] Dunton, Larkin (1896). The World and Its People.
London Corporation website
Silver, Burdett. p. 24.
• Old official page
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Billingsgate_Fish_Market&oldid=462008610"
Categories:
• Buildings and structures in Tower Hamlets
• Wholesale markets in London
• Fish markets
• History of the City of London
This page was last modified on 22 November 2011 at 22:15. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-
ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of
the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.Contact us
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers Mobile view
2