Still, the news this week that Smithfield will close — its owner, the City of London Corporation, killed a plan to move the market to a new site in East London — came as something of a jolt to him.
Smithfield market's owners, the City of London Corporation, had planned to relocate Smithfield and Canary Wharf's Billingsgate fish market to the east-end suburb, but on Tuesday the body's Court of Common Council voted to scrap the move, after a recommendation from the Square Mile's policy committee.
The City of London Corporation, the ultimate owner of the property, has been engaged in public consultation to assess how best to redevelop the disused property and regenerate the area.
The announcement by the City of London Corporation in November that Smithfield market is to close after almost 900 years of trading has been met with surprise and dismay. Many Londoners fear Smithfield's special sense of place will be lost for good as a result.
The City of London Corporation has confirmed its plans to redevelop the land currently occupied by the Smithfield and Billingsgate wholesale food markets, along with pledging to help the markets' traders find a new location “within the M25” while also working with Barking & Dagenham Council to make alternative use of ...
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Are they closing the Smithfield market?
News that the City of London Corporation is to close Smithfield meat market and Billingsgate fish market for good by 2028, abandoning plans to relocate them to a new £1bn Dagenham Docks development, is slowly being absorbed by Smithfield traders.
Horace Jones, who also designed Tower Bridge, was chosen as the architect of the grand new market. His imposing and elegant complex of buildings included the Central Meat Market, General Market and Poultry Market.
Anyone can buy produce or products in Smithfield Market. The market is located in the City of London and is close to landmarks such as the Barbican, St Paul's Cathedral and St Bartholomew's Hospital.
If the plans proceed, the Smithfield site will become home to the new London Museum, while the land at Canary Wharf that will be unlocked by relocating Billingsgate could provide around 2,000 new homes, it said.
Billingsgate's site near Canary Wharf is set to be transformed into some 4,000 new homes; meanwhile, Smithfield is set to be regenerated into a “cultural and commercial hub” to accompany the new London Museum, set to open next year in a once-abandoned section of the market.
Smithfield Market is one of the oldest markets in London, primarily known for livestock and meat trading. However, it is not specifically a cloth market. The oldest cloth market in London is generally considered to be the 'Cloth Fair' which was established in the 12th century. Therefore, the statement is false.
The freehold owner of the site is the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, but the City of London Corporation still runs the market; they pay an annual ground rent stipulated in an agreement between the two councils as "the gift of one fish".
In 2013, Smithfield was taken private and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-based WH Group, which is publicly traded on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited.
It has been confirmed that Dublin's Victorian fruit and veg market in Smithfield will finally reopen in 2026. The historic red brick building on Mary's Lane, between Capel Street and Smithfield, has remained empty since its closure in 2019 to facilitate redevelopment.
Smithfield Packing Company was founded by Joe Luter Sr. and Joe Luter Jr. on Commerce Street in Smithfield. Years later, statues honoring the founding family, including Joe Luter III, were erected on our Smithfield Foods campus.
WH Group is the largest pork company in the world, with leading positions in China, the US, and key markets in Europe. The group owns subsidiary companies such as Henan Shuanghui Investment & Development Co Ltd., Asia's largest meat processing company, and Smithfield Foods Inc., the biggest pork food company in the US.
The corporation decided in a separate vote last November to permanently close Smithfield and Billingsgate when it pulled the plug on a planned £740m relocation to a new site in the east of the capital at Dagenham, blaming rising costs.
The City Guides run walking tours of Smithfield for members of the public on a monthly basis. Hear how Smithfield meat market has changed throughout its 800 year history and experience its working life first-hand on this special tour.
The oldest meat and fish markets in London, which date back 850 years, are facing permanent closure from 2028. Smithfield meat market, near St Paul's Cathedral, and Billingsgate fish market in Canary Wharf are to be closed after the City of London Corporation voted to withdraw support for them.
Do I need tickets for the Christmas Spectacular event? You don't need tickets to enter the market, but you'll need them for the Ice Museum, Ice Rink, and Big Wheel. We recommend booking tickets for the Ice Museum and Ice Rink online at christmasspectacular.ie to avoid missing out!
The City of London Corporation, which runs the site, said on Tuesday its council voted to stop operating Smithfield and Billingsgate fish market. The original plan had been to relocate the markets to a £1bn development in Dagenham, but a sharp rise in construction costs and wider inflation forced a rethink.
Kitted out in hard hat and fluorescent jacket, Mr Shaw is leading the project to turn the enormous Victorian space into the new home for the Museum of London, which shut the doors to its former London Wall venue in December 2022 having run out of space for its collection.
