Every neighborhood has its cluster of fruit,vegetable, and flower stalls, or its week-end car-boot sales—gigantic garage saleswhere ordinary people pay a fiver for theprivilege of selling their castoffs. Some,like the North End Road Market in Ful-ham, run for miles. Others, like BrixtonMarket, Europe’s biggest Caribbean-foodmarket, specialize in ethnic ingredientsand products. Still others crop up in themost unexpected places: on Berwick Streetin the heart of Soho, for example, mediamoguls, designers, ad execs, actors, dancers,

and ladies of the night mingle over thepunnets of strawberries, wedges of ched-dar, and slabs of wet fish.

The big specialty markets, open on week-ends, are not only great for the occasionalbargain but also for people-watching, photoops, and all around great days out. Andthough the markets are popular with vis-itors, they aren’t tourist traps. In fact,browsing the London markets is one of thefew activities in London where natives andtourists mix and enjoy themselves as equals.

19TO MARKET, TO MARKETLondoners love a good market. With their cluttered stalls andcrowds of people, they are a visible reminder that, in this world ofglobal chain stores and supermarkets, London is still, in many respects, an Old World European city.

400 < Shopping

PORTOBELLO ROAD MARKET

London’s most famous market still wins the prize for theall-around best. It sits in a lively multicultural part oftown; the 1,500-odd antiques dealers don’t rip youoff (although you should haggle where you can); andit stretches over a mile, changing character completelyas it goes.

The southern end is lined with antiques shops and ar-cades; the middle, above Elgin Crescent, is where lo-cals buy fruits and vegetables. This middle area was thesetting for the lovely sequence in the movie Notting Hillwhere Hugh Grant walks along the market and throughthe changing seasons. The section near the elevated high-way (called the Westway) has the best flea market intown, with vintage-clothing stores along the edges.Here, young designers sell their wares in and aroundthe Portobello Green arcade. After that, the market trailsoff into a giant rummage sale of the kinds of cheaphousehold goods the British call tat.

Some say Portobello Road has become a bit of a touristtrap, but if you acknowledge that it’s a circus and getinto the spirit, it’s a lot of fun. Perhaps you won’t findmany bargains, but this is such a cool part of town thatjust hanging out is a good enough excuse to come. Thereare some food and flower stalls throughout the week,but to see the market in full swing, Saturday is the onlyday to come.

A PORTOBELLO DAYIn good weather the market

gets very crowded by midday.

For a Londoner’s day at

Portobello, come as early as

you can (7 AM) and enjoy the

market when the traders have

time for a chat and you can

actually get near the stalls. By

10:30 you'll have seen plenty of

the market and can stop for a

late breakfast or brunch at the

Electric Brasserie (E 191

Portobello Rd. P

020/7908–9696), next to the

area’s famous Electric Cinema.

If you still have the will to

shop, move on to the less

crowded boutiques along

Westbourne Grove, Blenheim

Crescent, or Ledbury Road.

C Sat. 6 AM–4:30 PM

E Portobello Rd., Notting Hill

u Ladbroke Grove

(Hammersmith & City

Line), Notting Hill (District,

Circle, or Central Line), or

Bus 52

x Antiques, fruits and

vegetables, vintage

clothing, household goods

Street Markets > 401

BOROUGH MARKET

There’s been a market in Borough since Roman times.This one, spread under the arches and railway tracksleading to London Bridge Station, is the successor toa medieval market once held on London Bridge.Post-millennium, it has been transformed from a noisy collection of local stalls to a trendy foodiecenter. Named the best market in London by a localmagazine and the best market in Britain by a national newspaper, the Farmers Market held on Fri-days and Saturdays has attracted some of London’sbest merchants of comestibles. Fresh coffees, gorgeouscheeses, olives, and baked goods complement the or-ganically farmed meats, fresh fish, fruit, and veggies.

Don’t make any other lunch plans for the day;celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s scallop man cooks themup fresh at Shell Seekers; wild boar sausages sizzleon a grill, and there is much more that’s temptingto gobble on the spot. There are chocolates, preserves,and Mrs. Bassa’s handmade Indian condiments totake home, but the best souvenirs are the memories.

A PUB RIGHT OUT OF DICKENSOn the way back to Borough

Tube station, stop for a pint at

the George Inn (E 77 Borough

High St., Southwark SE1P

020/7407–2056 u London

Bridge, Borough), mentioned

by Dickens in Little Dorrit. This

17th-century coaching inn was

a famous terminus in its day,

and is the last galleried inn in

London. Now owned by the

National Trust, it is leased to a

private company and still

operates as a pub.

A BARGAIN DAY ON THESOUTH BANKCombine a visit to the Tate

Modern (free) and a walk

across the Millennium Bridge

from the Tate to St. Paul’s with

a Thames-side picnic of

goodies foraged at Borough

Market. There are gourmet

breads and farmhouse cheeses

from France and Italy.

Or how about a wedge of

Stinking Bishop cheese

(Wallace and Gromit’s favorite)

from Neal’s Yard Dairy?

Fishmonger Applebee’s serves

up freshly sautéed garlic

prawns in a wrap with chili

and crème fraîche.

C Fri. noon–6, Sat. 9–4

E Borough High St.,

South Bank

u London Bridge (Jubilee or

Northern Line),

Borough (Nothern Line)

x Cheese, olives, coffee,

baked goods, meats, fish,

fruits, vegetables

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402 < Shopping

THE EAST END MARKETS

Brick Lane. The noisy center of the Bengali communityis a hubbub of buying and selling. Sunday stalls havefood, hardware, household goods, electrical goods,books, bikes, shoes, clothes, spices, and saris. The CDsand DVDs are as likely as not to be counterfeit, andthe bargain iron may not have a plug—so be careful.But people come more to enjoy the ethnic buzz, eat cur-ries and Bengali sweets, or indulge in salt beef on a bagelat Beigel Bake, London’s 24-hour bagel bakery, a sur-vivor of the neighborhood’s Jewish past. Brick Lane’sactivity spills over into nearby Petticoat Lane Marketwith similar goods but less atmosphere.

From Brick Lane it’s a stone’s throw to the ColumbiaRoad Flower Market. It’s only 52 stalls, but markets don’t get much more photogenic than this. Flowers,shrubs, bulbs, trees, garden tools, and accessories aresold wholesale. The local cafés are superb.

Stop to smell the roses and have Sunday brunch onColumbia Road before plunging into Spitalfields. Thecovered market (once London’s wholesale meat mar-ket) is at the center of this area’s boho revival. Amodern shopping complex that respects the charac-ter of the original Victorian building has been devel-oped around it, with a covered area housing additionalstalls. At this writing, the original market hall inte-rior was also being restored. Wares include crafts, retroclothing, handmade rugs, soap, and cakes. And, fromSpanish tapas to Thai satays, it’s possible to eat yourway around the world.

BRICK LANEC Sun. daybreak–noon

E Brick La., East End

u Aldgate East

(Hammersmith & City or

District Line), Shoreditch

(East London Line)

x Food, hardware, household

goods, electric goods,

books, bikes, shoes,

clothes, spices, saris

COLUMBIA ROAD FLOWER MARKETC Sun. 8–2

E Columbia Rd., East End

u Old Street (Northern Line)

x Flowers, shrubs, bulbs,

trees, garden tools,

accessories

SPITALFIELDSC Stalls weekdays 10–4,

Sun. 9–5.

Restaurants weekdays

11 AM–11 PM, Sun. 9–5.

Retail shops daily

11 AM–7 PM.

E Brushfield St., East End

u Liverpool St. or Aldgate

(Hammersmith & City,

Circle, or Bakerloo Line),

Aldgate East (Hammersmith

& City or District Line)

x Crafts, foods, vintage

clothing, rugs, soap, cakes

Street Markets > 403

BERMONDSEY

Come before dawn and bring a flashlight to bag a bar-gain antique at this famous market. Dealers arrive asearly as 4 AM to snap up the best bric-a-brac and sil-verware, paintings, objets d’art, fine arts, and furni-ture. The early start grew out of a wrinkle in the lawunder which thieves could sell stolen goods with im-punity in the hours of darkness when provenancecould not be ascertained. That law was changed, andthe market has been shrinking ever since.

Once surrounded by an indoor market and furniturewarehouses, Bermondsey is now confined to outdoorstalls, though they retain their character and some in-teresting wares. Bermondsey Square is being redevel-oped, with a hotel, art-house cinema, shops, andrestaurants in the works—it’s due to be completed atthe end of 2008. The local government has pledgedto preserve the original modest flavor of the market,despite the upcoming luxuries.

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THE CAMDEN MARKETS

Now that more stalls and a faux warehouse have beeninserted into the surrounding brick railway buildings,some of the haphazard charm of this area—actually several markets gathered around a pair of locks in the Regent’s Canal—is lost. Still, the variety of merchandiseis mind-blowing: vintage and new clothes, antiques andjunk, jewelry and scarves, candlesticks, ceramics, mir-rors, and toys.

The markets on Camden High Streem (both outdoorsand within the Electric Ballroom) mainly sell cheap T-shirts, secondhand clothes, and tacky pop-cultureparaphernalia; it’s best to head to Camden Lock and Sta-ble Markets. Though much of the merchandise is youthoriented, the markets have a lively appeal to aging hip-pies, fashion designers, and anyone with a taste for thebohemian who doesn’t mind crowds and a bit of a mad-house scene. Don’t miss the Horse Hospital for quirkyantiques dealers.

C Fri. 4 AM–about noon

E Long La. and Bermondsey

Sq., South Bank

u London Bridge (Jubilee or

Northern Line), Borough

(Nothern Line)

x Antiques (silverware,

paintings, furniture)

CAMDEN MARKETC Thurs.–Sun. 9–5:30

CAMDEN LOCK MARKET, STABLES MARKET, ANDCANAL MARKETC Weekends 10–6

ELECTRIC MARKETC Sun. 9–5:30

E Camden Town

u Camden Town

(Northern Line)

x Vintage clothing, antiques,

jewelry, candlesticks,

ceramics, mirrors, toys

404 < Shopping

THE GREENWICH MARKET

On weekends, the focus is on crafts, while on Thurs-days and Fridays it’s on antques: china, old books,cameras, vintage clothing, marine memorabilia, andother curiosities. On weekends, the Village Marketdown the road offers yet more flea-market miscel-lany and cheap goods. Less crowded than Camden,less touristy than Covent Garden, this part-indoor,part-outdoor market is surrounded by interestingshops and close to historic sites. If you make a dayof it, you can see the Greenwich Observatory andstand on Longitude 0 (marked in brass and stone infront of the observatory), visit the tall ship Cutty Sark,and shop till you drop.

■ TWO MARKET TIPS TO REMEMBER➜ Inthe end, if you like something and you canafford it, it’s worth buying; you’re the bestjudge of that. But it’s annoying to buy an“English antique” only to find the Made inChina label when you get home. To avoiddisappointment:

Look for hallmarks. A lot of what passes for

English silver is plate or outright fake. English

gold and silver must, by law, be marked with

hallmarks that indicate their material and the

year in which they were made. Books of

hallmarks are inexpensive to buy in London

bookshops.

Buy crafts items directly from the makers.

Ceramicists, jewelers, needleworkers and

other artisans often sell their own work at

markets. Besides buying the item, you may

have a conversation worth remembering.

■ MARKET ETIQUETTE ➜ You’ve probably

heard that you’re expected to bargain with the

market traders to get the best price. That’s true

to a degree, but London markets are not Mid-

dle Eastern souks, and most bargaining is

modest. Unless you are an expert in the item

you want to buy and really know how low you

can go, don’t offer a ridiculously low price.

Instead ask the dealer, “Is that the best you

can do?” If the dealer is willing to bargain, he

or she will suggest a slightly lower price,

maybe 10% less. You might try to get another

10% off and end up meeting in the middle.

C Thurs.–Sun. 9:30–5:30

E Greenwich High Rd.,

Greenwich

u DLR: Cutty Sark for

Maritime Greenwich

x Antiques, arts, crafts,

books, toys, paraphernalia

Know-How