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Broadway Market, London

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Coordinates: 51°32′12″N 0°03′42″W / 51.5367°N 0.0618°W / 51.5367; -0.0618
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Broadway Market
Broadway Market looking north from the western end of Andrews Road, by Cat & Mutton Bridge
Broadway Market, London is located in London Borough of Hackney
Broadway Market, London
Broadway Market in Hackney
Former name(s)Broadway London Fields, Pritchards Road, Duncan Place
OwnerHackney London Borough Council
Maintained byHackney London Borough Council
Length252 metres (827 ft)
LocationHackney, London E8
Postal codeE8
Coordinates51°32′12″N 0°03′42″W / 51.5367°N 0.0618°W / 51.5367; -0.0618
NorthWest Gate Street
SouthPritchard's Road
Other
Known forstreet market, fashion, restaurants
Broadway Market
Elevated shot of Broadway Market in 2009 looking north towards London Fields
LocationHackney, London E8
AddressBroadway Market E8
Opening date1883 (141 years ago) (1883)
ManagementHackney London Borough Council
OwnerHackney London Borough Council
EnvironmentOutdoor
Goods soldStreet food, produce, fashion
Days normally openSunday, Saturday
Websitehackney.gov.uk/markets-traders

Broadway Market is a street located in Hackney, in the London Borough of Hackney, and is best known for the street market held there. Licences to trade are issued by a committee of councillors from Hackney London Borough Council.

The street is on the traditional boundary of the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch (the south-west part of the street) and old Hackney borough.

History

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In 1893 the London County Council's Public Control Committee states that the Market had existed since 1883 on the southern end of the Street between Andrew Street and Duncan Road and consisted of 35 stalls selling: vegetables and fruit, flowers, eggs, meat, fish, bacon, earthenware, drapery, iron and tinware, mats and pails, and caps and belts. The report describes a growing market serving a local, over-crowded, working-class community.

Of the 35 stalls 10 are recorded as being run by Broadway Market shopkeepers with the remainder being independent street traders.[1]

In 1936, whilst calling the market London Fields, Benedetta describes the market as a weekday market with a smaller presence on Sundays and reports that it has "almost every kind of stall".[2]

Before the late 20th century, it was the site of a busy fruit and vegetable market, but this slowly dwindled over time—in the early 2000s, market activity was limited to a couple of stalls selling produce. On 8 May 2004 a food market was launched on Saturdays which has since become firmly established.[3] Broadway Market is closed to traffic when the market is being held (9am–5pm). Thanks largely to the market a number of new restaurants and boutiques have opened in the area.

The ongoing development of Broadway Market has sparked a local debate about the perceived gentrification of Hackney and the way Hackney council disposed of some of their commercial property portfolio. In late 2005, a group of local protestors occupied 34 Broadway Market (Francesca's café) to bring attention to the issue. Despite being evicted on 21 December 2005 the building was successfully reoccupied on 27 December (replacing the demolished roof in the process) before the protestors were again evicted on 23 February 2006.[4]

In 2024, Broadway Market was awarded Best Food Market by the National Association of British Market Authorities.

Recognised by Time Out magazine this is one of London’s destinations for street food with over 150 stalls each weekend, with a 2-year waiting list, offering a diverse range of cuisines. In addition to the street food appeal, it is also a haven for artisan foods.[5]

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A fruit stall in the street's market

The market was the location of filming for some scenes in the 1947 film Odd Man Out, and the opening scenes of the 1988 movie Buster were shot at the Regent's Canal end of the street. The market, and specifically the barber shop, was the location for David Cronenberg's 2007 film, Eastern Promises, and the market and surrounding area appeared in the Netflix drama series Top Boy.

Along with many squares and streets in the East End of London, it is rumoured that the old Broadway Market partly inspired the BBC soap opera EastEnders.

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  • Francesca's café re-occupied after some demolition. (January 2006)
    Francesca's café re-occupied after some demolition. (January 2006)
  • Protest at Hackney Town Hall against the proposed eviction of Spirit, a local shopowner. (February 2006)
    Protest at Hackney Town Hall against the proposed eviction of Spirit, a local shopowner. (February 2006)
  • The Dove gastropub. (January 2006)
    The Dove gastropub. (January 2006)
  • F Cooke's pie and mash shop stands at the southern entrance to Broadway Market. (January 2006)
    F Cooke's pie and mash shop stands at the southern entrance to Broadway Market. (January 2006)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Public Control Committee (1893). "Appendix B". 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 (Report). London: London County Council.: 50 
  2. ^ Benedetta, Mary; Moholy-Nagy, László (1936). The Street Markets of London (1st ed.). London: John Miles. p. 191. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  3. ^ "History—The Twentieth Century". Broadway Market. Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  4. ^ James, Emily (4 February 2024). "Battle For Broadway Market". emily-james.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Celebrating the UK's Best Markets as Great British Market Award Winners are Revealed". NABMA—the voice of markets. 24 January 2024. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
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