Sunday is the day to go, with other 150 stalls and a great atmosphere of milling shoppers
Once a fringe player
Spitalfields is a covered market in East London. A market has existed on the site for over 350 years since King Charles gave a license for flesh, fowl and roots to be sold here. At the time it was a rural area on the outskirts of London. Since then, London has grown relentlessly, and Spitalfields is now finds itself nestled in the heart of the city, in the shadow of Christ Church.
The ancient market retains its charm. The Horner Square and Horner Buildings which house part of it are both Grade II listed buildings that date from the late 19th century, and the original Victorian buildings, market hall and roof have been restored, making Spitalfields one of London’s major markets once more.
Bargain Hunter
In terms of wares, there is a bit of everything here. There are fashion stalls where you can keep your eyes peeled for a bargain silk shirt or a charmingly worn flannel one. Teetering piles of antiques reward a thorough perusal — looking for an underpriced treasure can become really quite addictive. You can try a little haggling too.
Melting Pot
True to its roots, Spitalfields market remains an excellent place for food shopping. The dazzling array of fresh food market stalls make it a gastronomic paradise. Enjoy deli-style dishes, artisan breads and fairtrade products, or head to one of the glass fronted restaurants to enjoy a sit down meal and a respite from the mercantile madness. You can find food from anywhere: Italy, Mexico, Chinese, Indonesian, to name but a few.
Explore the highlights and hidden gems of London’s East End, once an impoverished working-class district of Victorian London, today a trendy digital hub and a melting pot of different cultures, street art, music, and food.
On your private tour you will:
Once a working-class Victorian slum, London’s East End has transformed into the thriving epicentre of London’s art, fashion, and entrepreneurship.
From the startup hubs leading the digital economy to the art galleries, pubs, and restaurants of a vibrant social world, this truly is a remarkable part of the world’s most international city.
Explore the hidden alleys, famous markets, antique shops, boutique florists, and fashion stalls, and sample the delicious cuisine in the many food markets.
London is famously an international city, and the East End is truly a melting pot of diversity - famed for waves of Huguenot, Irish, and Jewish immigration - we now see the influence of Bangladeshi migrants, whose cuisine defines and enlivens the world-renowned Brick Lane.
Delve into the macabre history of Jack the Ripper and the underbelly of London’s notorious East End on this unique driving and walking tour with a professional guide and passionate ‘Ripperologist’!
On your private tour, you will:
The urban legend of Jack the Ripper - his barbaric crimes and the mystery of his identity have exercised a morbid fascination over the police and public alike, ever since his horrific crimes were discovered in 1888. On this unique tour, you will be able to listen to one of the foremost experts in Ripperology who is also a licensed London Cabbie, as he takes you around the locations associated with the Ripper and his victims— all young women working in London's East End.
After meeting your driver-guide, you’ll begin your tour in Whitechapel, the infamous district of East London that made headlines in the year 1888 with the brutal murders of five working girls by an unknown assassin, known for over a century as Jack the Ripper.
You’ll visit the notorious pubs, like the Ten Bells, where the women were last seen and walk down the very streets where their bodies were first seen and caused such widespread shock, fear and horror.
You’ll see Buck’s Row, where Mary Ann Nichols was discovered; Hanbury Street, the site of Annie Chapman’s body; Berners Row where Elizabeth Stride was found; Mitre Square scene of Catherine Eddowe’s murder, and Miller’s Court where Mary Jane Kelly was brutally attacked.
Your guide will tell you their tragic stories and the clues found by the police, the police arrests and the many hundreds of theories put forward over the intervening years. The tour also covers many other notorious areas of the East End and sites of historic crimes and punishments from the traitors of the Middle Ages at the Tower of London to the more recent gangland criminals, the legendary Kray Twins.
You’ll visit the underbelly of the East End: The Blind Beggar Public House, the scene of a notorious gangland murder; The Highway – famous for the Ratcliffe Highway murderer, and Wapping’s Execution Dock!
You’ll also pass by some iconic London landmarks and monuments – including the Whitehall Bell Foundry at Spitalfields where Big Ben was made, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, London Bridge and The Royal Hospital – former residence of the unfortunate ‘Elephant Man’ - made famous in the Hollywood blockbuster and Oscar-winning movie, which starred John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins.
And finally, you’ll head toward central London and Fleet Street, known for the infamous Demon Barber of Fleet Street Sweeney Todd, the Knights Templar, and now for West End pubs and theatres! Your fascinating tour of the lesser-known underbelly of London ends here or at a location of your choice.
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