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London Metropolitan Archives

LONDON CENTRAL MARKETS, SMITHFIELD


IDENTITY STATEMENT

Reference code(s): CLA/017

Held at: London Metropolitan Archives

Title: LONDON CENTRAL MARKETS, SMITHFIELD

Date(s): 1630, 1859 - 2009

Level of description: Collection

Extent: 13.35 linear metres

Name of creator(s): Corporation of London

CONTEXT

Administrative/Biographical history:

Smithfield Market was well established by 1174, when a Friday market for horses, pigs and cattle was held. The City of London gained rights over the market in 1327, under a charter granted by Edward III. In 1852 the live cattle market was relocated to a new site in Islington to ease pressures of space.

In 1860 the market was reorganised and renamed following the passing of the Metropolitan Meat and Poultry Market Act. Work began in 1866 on rebuilding the two main sections of the market, the East and West Buildings. The buildings, designed by architect Sir Horace Jones (who also designed Billingsgate and Leadenhall Markets), were completed in November 1868. These buildings were built above railway lines, enabling meat to be delivered directly to the market.

The principal meat market buildings were opened as the Metropolitan Meat and Poultry Market on 1 December 1868. An additional building was opened as the Poultry and Provisions Market on 30 November 1875. A few months earlier the market complex had been renamed the London Central Markets.

During World War Two the wholesale distribution of meat was decentralised and only the poultry and provisions sections of the market operated from Smithfield. This continued until 1946 when (controlled) distribution of meat was re-established. Meat rationing ended in 1954 and Smithfield returned became a free trading market once again.

The original poultry market was destroyed by fire in 1958. The conflagration began on 23rd January of that year and raged for four days.

The City of London Corporation appointed architect T P Bennett and Son to design the new Poultry Market building which was opened in 1962. The East and West Market buildings underwent major refurbishment in the 1990s.

CONTENT

Scope and content/abstract:

The collection (with the exception of CLA/017/LC/05/001 which dates from 1630) dates from 1859 onwards and includes:-

Records of the Metropolitan Meat and Poultry Market, Smithfield, 1859-1898 (CLA/017/MP) : administrative and financial records.

Records of London Central Markets, Smithfield 1863-2009 (CLA/017/LC) : annual reports submitted to the Court of Common Council by various Markets Committees; annual and monthly reports from the Superintendent to the Central Market's Committee; details of tonnage received at the market; analysis of supplies; monthly and weekly reports; rental and tenancy agreements; account books; average prices; Acts of Parliament relating to the market; porter's licences; reports; brochures, handbooks, photographs and audio-visual material. Also papers relating to the investigation by civil engineers B L Hurst & Peirce into the cause of the movement of cracks which appeared in Entrance 20 of the market building.

ACCESS AND USE

Language/scripts of material: English

System of arrangement:

CLA/017/LC: London Central Market; CLA/017/MP: Metropolitan Meat and Poultry Market.

Conditions governing access:

Available for general access.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Copyright is vested in the City of London.

Physical characteristics:

Fit

Finding aids:

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:

Accruals:

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Corporation of London Records Office

ALLIED MATERIALS

Existence and location of originals:

Existence and location of copies:

Related material:

For Corporation of London records relating to Markets see: CLA/009: Markets, CLA/010: Billingsgate Market, CLA/011: Leadenhall Market, CLA/012: Foreign Cattle Market, Deptford, CLA/013: Spitalfields market, CLA/014: Newgate Market, CLA/015: Metropolitan Cattle Market, CLA/016: Smithfield Market, CLA/017: London Central Markets, Smithfield, CLA/073: Coal Exchange and Market, COL/CC/BLM: Court of Common Council Billingsgate and Leadenhall Markets Committee, COL/CC/CEM: Court of Common Council Central Markets Committee, COL/CC/CTM: Court of Common Council Cattle Markets Committee, COL/CC/MKC: Court of Common Council Markets Committee, COL/CC/MRI: Court of Common Council Markets Improvement Committee, COL/CC/MRJ: Court of Common Council Joint Markets Advisory Committee, COL/CC/MRK: Markets Committee, COL/CC/MRS: Select Markets Committee (Smithfield Fruit and Vegetable Market), COL/CC/SMC: Special Markets Committee, COL/CC/SPM: Spitalfields Market Committee, COL/CCS: Comptroller and City Solicitor, COL/CCS/CO: Comptroller, COL/CH: Charters, COL/CHD/RN: Chamberlain's Department: Rents and Rentals, COL/PL: Plans, COL/PLD/PL: Planning Department Plans, COL/SVD/PL: Surveyor's Department Plans, COL/TSD/PL: Technical Services Department Plans.

Publication note:

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Note:

Rules or conventions: Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions: February 2009


INDEX ENTRIES
Subjects
Administrative history | Administration | Organisation and management
Cattle markets | Livestock markets | Commercial premises
Covered markets | Retail Trade | Trade (practice)
Fruit trade | Food trade | Trade (practice)
General produce markets | Commercial premises
Pig industry | Meat trade | Food industry | Manufacturing industry | Industry
Poultry industry | Food industry | Manufacturing industry | Industry
Street trading | Retail trade | Trade (practice)
Vegetable products | Agricultural products

Personal names
Jones | Sir | Horace | 1819-1887 | Knight | architect

Corporate names
Hurst Peirce & Malcolm LLP | Civil and structural engineers
London Central Markets | Markets Committee | Corporation of London x Smithfield Market x Metropolitan Meat and Poultry Market

Places
Barnet | Hertfordshire | England | UK | Western Europe | Europe
City of London | London | England | UK | Western Europe | Europe