Exmouth Market is a semi-
pedestrianised street in
Clerkenwell in the
London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington ( ) is a London borough in Inner London. Whilst the majority of the district is located in north London, the borough also includes a significant area to the south which forms part of central London. Islington ha ...
, and the location of an outdoor street market of 32 stalls.
History
Exmouth Market draws its name from the Exmouth Arms Pub that is centrally situated in the street. The area has been a market place since the 1890s and a number of the street's buildings date from the 19th century.
Also centrally located on the block of the street opposite the Exmouth Arms is the church of
Our Most Holy Redeemer, Clerkenwell, built in 1887 on the site of the
Spa Fields Chapel. The church is London's only Italian
basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...
-style church.
The south-east corner of the street was the site for the London Spa which dates back to 1730 and is one of Clerkenwell's most famous resorts. It was rebuilt several times and called the London Spa until 2002. It is now known as
Spa Fields.
1990s: Rehabilitation
The street and surrounding area had previously held a reputation as a run down and seedy part of Central London. Since the mid-to-late nineties the street has undergone a steady regeneration, and Exmouth Market is now home to a large number of restaurants, cafes and bars, as well as independent book, record and gift shops, a range of design and architecture companies,
and
Eland Publishing, the travel literature imprint.
A distinguishing feature of the area is that nearly every restaurant, cafe and bar in the street offer outside seating and cover, which is uncommon for suburban London outside of High Street areas – this creates a
sidewalk cafe
The SideWalk Cafe was a music venue and restaurant/cafe in East Village, New York City founded in 1985. It became a known venue for its underground music scene, and in particular, was known as being the center for Anti-folk in the United Stat ...
ambiance.
Street market
In autumn 2006, the Exmouth Market Trader's association decided to reinstate Exmouth Market's
street market
A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from the Arabic), '' ...
. It costs £35 a week to occupy land the size of a regular stall. Stallholders include local and well-known food companies and producers, as well as jewellery and gifts from East London designers.
The market was originally held every Friday (between 11–6) and Saturday (between 9–4) (as indicated on a banner), but hours have changed, and it now runs during weekdays only (including Thursday and Friday): food stalls run primarily 11–2.
Film
The street was used for location shooting for
Madonna's directorial debut, ''
Filth and Wisdom
''Filth and Wisdom'' is a 2008 British comedy-drama film directed by Madonna, starring Eugene Hütz, Holly Weston, Vicky McClure and Richard E. Grant. It was filmed on location in London, England, from 14 to 29 May 2007. Locations included two ...
'' and also for ''
A Private Function''.
References
External links
Exmouth Market Official Website
{{Markets in London
Retail markets in London
Streets in the London Borough of Islington