Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 10/07/2026 23:13:00

Borough Market has occupied its current site beside London Bridge since at least 1756, though trading on or near this spot may date back over a thousand years. A reference in a 1014 document to a market at the southern bridgehead suggests continuous commerce here since the Viking era, making it one of the oldest continuously operating food markets in the country. The present layout, sheltered beneath Victorian wrought-iron and glass canopies threaded through railway arches, grew piecemeal from the mid-nineteenth century as the wholesale fruit and vegetable trade expanded. For most of the twentieth century Borough was a working wholesale market, with lorries arriving before dawn to supply greengrocers across South London. When the wholesale operation relocated in the 1990s, the market reinvented itself as a retail destination for speciality and artisan food. Today more than a hundred stalls and permanent shops sell everything from raw-milk cheeses and heritage-breed charcuterie to Ethiopian injera, freshly shucked oysters, and Neapolitan-style pizza cooked in wood-fired ovens. Traders emphasise provenance, seasonality, and direct relationships with farmers and producers. Many stalls offer samples, and several street-food vendors operate hot counters for immediate consumption. The market is open Wednesday through Saturday, with the full market running Thursday to Saturday and a more limited offering on Wednesdays. It sits between Southwark Cathedral and the approach to London Bridge station, making it easily reachable on foot from the Jubilee and Northern lines. Entry is free, and the covered arcades provide shelter in wet weather while maintaining the bustle of an open-air market. Southwark Cathedral, whose grounds adjoin the market's western edge, adds a sense of historical continuity to the area. The Market Hall at the centre of the site was rebuilt in the 1860s and restored in 2004 after a fire. Several of the surrounding railway arches have been converted into permanent restaurant and retail units, extending the market's footprint without sacrificing its open-air character. A food education programme and regular cookery demonstrations run from a dedicated teaching kitchen on site.