North
Camden Market
This may be the only place in London where hippies, goths, punks,
rockabillies and metallers rub elbows and so, despite plenty of tourist
tat and a virtual scrum at the weekends, Camden still occupies a
special place in the heart of most Londoners. In recent years the
market has also had a facelift. The first stalls you hit are at the
junction of Buck Street and Camden High Street, where you can pick up
cheap fashion items, sunglasses, combat pants, ethnic hats and football
strips (often for a mere tenner). At Camden Lock and Camden Canal Markets
you’ll find original designers in beautifully laid-out boutiques and
workshops, as well as great food. The Market Hall houses three floors
of arts and crafts. Clothes get trendier at the Stables Market
off Chalk Farm Road: here fashionistas stock up on exotica (skintight
bodices) and retro clothing. Find a vast range of vintage clothing
including cheap leather coats, cowboy boots and skiwear next to Proud
Galleries. Turn left into Stables Block for antiques and lamps. The
Horse Hospital is vintage heaven (though not all traders are here
during the week), with pop memorabilia, ’50s telephones, maps and
books, as well as classic 1960s furniture such as bubble chairs and
Verner Panton lights which spill from the storefronts. Find Arckiv
specs, Farang’s Oriental arts and retro furniture in Design Six.
Meanwhile, the indoor Electric Market is the place for decadent
velvet goth jackets, fake furs and jewellery, while Inverness Street
market sells cheap fruit and veg, cut-price electrical goods, kids’
toys and London memorabilia.
Camden Market, Camden High St, junction with Buck
St, NW1 (020 7485 3459/www.camdenlock.net) Camden Town tube. Open
9.30am-5.30pm daily.
Camden Canal Market, off Chalk Farm Rd, south of junction with Castlehaven Rd, NW1 (020 7485 8355/www.camden
lock.net) Camden Town tube. Open Fri-Sun 9am-6.30pm.
Camden Lock Market, Camden Lock Place, NW1 (020 7485 3459/www.camdenlockmarket.com) Camden Town tube. Open 10am-6pm daily.
Electric Market, Electric Ballroom, 184 Camden High St, NW1 8QP (020
7485 9006/www.electric-ballroom.co.uk) Camden Town tube. Open Sat, Sun
10am-6pm; record & film fairs occasional Sats throughout the year.
Stables Market, off Chalk Farm Rd, opposite junction with Hartland Rd,
NW1 (020 7485 5511/www.stablesmarket.com) Camden Town tube. Open
10am-6pm daily (reduced stalls Mon-Fri).
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Chapel Market
A good old traditional market (as seen in the opening shots of ‘Only
Fools And Horses’), this boasts one of the oldest pie and mash shops in
London (Manze’s). There are several good fruit and veg stalls, a wet
fish stand, and a couple of cheap CD stalls, as well as stalls selling
dried pigs’ ears (for dog toys), second-hand Mills & Boon novels
and bonsai trees. There are plenty of Pete Beale characters around
here, the clothes aren’t much to write home about and you’ve got to
feel sorry for the Chinese guy trying to flog the rubbish toys week
after week, but on the plus side there are some decent food stalls
(cheese, dim sum, Thai, sausage and mash), bars (the Salmon &
Compass and Elbow Rooms) and shops (including three nail bars and two
hairdressers). Disque Records (No 11, 020 7833 1104) is open late every
night (until midnight on Fridays) though they’ve been known to file
Johnny Cash under hip hop. Beyond the market is the shoppers’ paradise
that is Upper Street.
Chapel Market, Chapel St, N1. Angel tube. Open Tue-Wed, Fri, Sat 9am-3.30pm, Thur-Sun 9am-1pm.
Ridley Road Market
As diverse as the community it serves, Ridley Road Market sells
everything from domestic and exotic fruit and veg (Turkish, Jewish,
Asian, cockney, African and Caribbean) to cheap clothes, home
furnishings and toys. But more interesting are the permanent stalls in
buildings lining the market – here Ghanaian music, African clothes and
sari fabrics sit next to butchers selling goat necks, boiler chickens
and cows’ feet; fishmongers selling everything from bream to barracuda;
and other traders selling bundles of dried, whole fish with price tags
ranging from £6 to £50.
Ridley Road Market, Ridley Rd, off Kingsland High
St, E8. Dalston Kingsland rail or 30, 38, 56, 67, 76, 149, 236, 242,
243 or 277 bus. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-5.30pm.
Walthamstow Market
This lively market, stretching from Hoe Street to St James’s Street
(with Selborne Walk Shopping Centre full of high street names) is the
longest (though not the largest) market in Europe, and over the years
has come to closely reflect the multi-ethnic community surrounding it.
As well as traditional fruit and veg stalls, expect to find a good
selection of Asian and Caribbean products, with the rest of the 450
stalls offering practically everything you might be looking for (as
well as a few things you might not, such as obscure ragga CDs and dodgy
batteries): household and electrical goods, cheap clothes (especially
warm hats and gloves), underwear, jewellery, leather handbags and
belts, fabrics, flowers, bread and cakes, even the odd ‘antique’.
Walthamstow Market, Walthamstow High St, E17. Walthamstow tube. Open Mon-Sat 8am-6pm.
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8 comments
Hi! There's a cupcake stall at Northcote Rd markets and i don't know the name of it!? Can anyone help?!
Hey, How come Sunday UpMarket on Brick Lane isn’t mentioned?
How can you say Whitechapel market is one of London’s best? It is one of the worst! It is dirty and the stallholders don’t seem to have much regard for the environment – there is rubbish all over the place. I think it should be shut down!
Hi I’m looking for the best place to fin 60's or 70's men’s suits in a variety of colours? Has any one any ideas??
How can i book a stall at the Leather Lane Market? how much does it cost for how long?
Where about in london i can find a market that sells cheap designer clothes ( tags off maybe). Thanks
how can i go about booking a stall (selling space to sell in the market?
Its really fantastic. The Atmosphere is sooooooo.... relaxing and enjoyfull. Beautifull stalls and relly good for gift items as i am dealing with gift items and clothes and found some new customers as well.