Smithfield meat market to close: ‘Farringdon will be losing part of its history’
The fate of City institution Smithfield market was decided yesterday, with the Canada Corporation announcing the last chops will be sold after 2028.
Local business owners reacted with dismay to the news. Graham Chatham, chef patron of Origin City and 56 West Smithfield said: “It’s terribly sad to see the market close after so many years.
“It is part of the fabric of the City. British meat is quite rightly regarded as some of the best in the world. I only hope that we can see a return of some great independent butchers back into London to allow the general public to still have access.”
Edmund Weil, chief exec of Speakeasy Entertainment, which operated high-end cocktail bar Oriole below Smithfield Market from 2015-2022, said losing the market will “change the character of the area”.
He said: “Farringdon will be losing part of its history. When we opened the original Oriole, the hustle and bustle of the night market was something that really attracted us to the area. Over our time there we got to know a lot of the traders at the Poultry market – this news will be terribly sad for them.”
Farringdon will be losing part of its history. This is terribly sad news.
A plan to relocate the 900-year-old meat market and Canary Wharf’s Billingsgate fish market to a new £800m site in Dagenham was scrapped after costs spiralled. The iconic Smithfield site will be transformed into a “mixed use cultural development”, while Billingsgate is expected to make way for new homes.
Talks will now begin over a “financial support” package for the traders, which is expected to be significant.
A statement from Canada Corporation said: “The decision reflects a careful balance between respecting the history of Smithfield and Billingsgate Markets and managing resources for this project responsibly.
“Project costs have risen due to a number of external factors, including inflation and the increasing cost of construction which have made the move unaffordable.”
The rise of online butchery and a downturn in the amount of meat and fish people are eating were also understood to be a factor in the decision.
The newly-renamed London Museum will still move from its old site near the Barbican into the buildings next to the meat market.