Our Story
A cluster of market stalls first began trading in Greenwich as far back as the 14th Century. In December 1700 a 1,000-year old Royal Charter was granted establishing it as a regulated market. So it was on 3rd September 1737, that we officially open our doors, setting out our stalls to welcome the Greenwich locals and Londoners from the farthest corners of the capital. Back in the day we were located next to the Old Royal Naval College, where 60 stallholders gathered to tout their meat, fruit and vegetables while pedlars offered pottery and other wares outside on the street.
These days we’re open to the world, inviting a wealth of visitors from across the globe, but we’re still proud to be the heartbeat of the Greenwich community and a major focal point for local life, right in the middle of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. You can still feel the market buzz of yesteryear as the punters peruse, shop, taste and try all manners of products, which makes us the place to visit when you’re in London. With 1,200 square metres of shops, stalls, cafes, restaurants and pubs, we’re much more charming than any modern shopping mall, we’re the market with a royal seal of approval – wander the historic cobbled streets and step into our main market hall under the impressive roof as the sunlight seeps through.
Alongside the bric-a-brac, antiques, arts, crafts, collectibles and curios, we’re also one of the best street food markets in London, take your pick from traditional east end jellied eels, plenty of pies and mash, tasty churros or Thai curries galore!
Our timeline below charts our centuries of trading:
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1700
Commissioners of the Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich were granted a 1000-year Royal Charter to establish a properly regulated market.
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1737
Greenwich Market opened
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1845
The Admiral Hardy pub was given permission to open a small theatre over the newly built arch into the market leading from College Approach. Today, the inscription on the arch can still be read: “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord but a just weight is his delight”.
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1849
Parliament passed an Act to enable the Commissioners of Greenwich Hospital to regulate and manage the Markets. The Commissioners could now not only collect rent from tolls and stalls but create new byelaws.
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1902
Improvements were made when the degraded timber roof was replaced by three separate roofs, glazed and supported by trussed steel.
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1905
Bylaw extending trading to six days a week
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1985
The market was reduced to an ad hoc event one day a week, but the market reinvented itself as a purveyor of antiques and arts-and-crafts.
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1987
The adjoining shops were increasingly let to tenants also dealing in handicrafts.
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1997
The area of Greenwich town centre and Greenwich Park was inscribed by UNESCO as the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site.
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2012
Greenwich became a Royal Borough
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2016
The elegant and functional roofs were restored, which are key criteria in the market’s Grade II Heritage listing.
Are you ready to crack the secrets of the market?
Visitors unlocked fun prompts and curious facts, from sculpture to heritage, historic details to handmade design on our scavenger hunt, discover the stops below: