There has been some discussion about markets in recent London threads and I thought it might be good to collect together recommendations for markets that people have enjoyed - both locals and travellers!
I am very fond of markets - I use them because don't like overpriced supermarket fruit that goes from unripe to shriveled without ever becoming ripe. We may not have the visually (and aromatically!) stunning markets of the Mediterannean countries but they are still an important part of daily life for many Britons and can be not just interesting to visit but also a good choice for those Slowtravellers in rental accomodation: good local produce at reasonable prices.
I'll start with two that are part of my life:
Kingston Market: Kingston-upon-Thames, in the London south west suburbs, is a busy shopping and commercial centre. Its appeal to the visitor is that it is on the Thames, midway between Hampton Court Palace and Richmond. Boat services run from here to the Palace (and there are also good buses)
The main pedestrianised shopping street is useful but not particularly charming - if you turn off behind the church you will find the ancient Market Place. The Market House houses the Tourist Information Centre and on the back of the building is the most extraordinary gilded statue of Queen Anne (1706) - I always think it looks like Queen Victoria going to a fancy dress party as Queen Elizabeth the First. (I'll try and find a photo or go and take one!)
The daily (not Sun) market is not very big - some odd stalls on the river side, but the rest are mainly very good fruit and vegetable stalls, all competing on price. (This week I bought really tasty baby plum tomatoes at 60p per pound, huge bunches of flat leaf parsley for 50p)
There are some cafes around the square (with outdoor seating)- alley ways lead down to the riverside, which have lots of cafes and bars. (Another historical oddity is in the Borders bookshop on the edge of the square - it retains an amazing heavy wooden Jacobean staircase , from the original Castle Inn on the site.)
Tavistock Pannier Market Tavistock is a charming Market town in Devon on the edge of Dartmoor and attracts lots of visitors. The centre of the town is definately worth a look - it was built, in granite with striking crenallations on the roof lines, in the middle of the 19th century by the 7th Duke of Bedford.
The Pannier Market is a covered market behind the main Guildhall in Bedford Square - only used to be on a Friday (when all the farmers' wives came into town to do their weekly shopping) but is now held most days of the week. Friday is still the best day as it has the WI (Women's Institute) bakery stall in the corner - all those farmers' wives still in action! Delicious cakes (at about £2 for a large one) and big queues.
The market has shops outside the actual market hall, in the colonades and built into the boundary wall. Good butchers, fish and cheese shops. In the market itself, there are all kinds of stalls - honey, local organic produce, fudge, local paintings and prints, fabrics. The cafe is always busy - not fancy, but cheap and plentiful (you'd need a hike on Dartmoor to wear it off!)
Any other contributors? I always used to like Oxford Covered Market when I had cause to visit there often - maybe someone has an up to date experience of it.
Posts: 790 | Location: London, UK | Registered: 20 September 2006
