Valerie’s London: Bermondsey Market

By Valerie Wills

If you are ever in London for an extended stay, I would highly recommend a visit to London’s East End. I kid you not, this is where the word “entrepreneur” was invented. I have never met a group as innovative or creative as our very own London EastEnders.

.

There was many a time, when I was working in the West End of London, my girlfriends and I would enjoy drinks after work, always at some hip and trendy bar and we would inevitably bump into guys from the East End – we affectionately called them “Barrow Boys” (meaning they sold fruits and vegetables). However, these guys were predominantly traders, stock brokers or investment bankers and would send over bottles of Cristal to our table at the drop of a hat. London was such fun in the 80s!

Sadly those extravagant, fun days are gone, but what is left is Bermondsey Market. One of London’s most serious weekly antiques market with over 500 traders and a world-wide reputation which attracts buyers from around the globe. It’s officially called the New Caledonian Market but most commonly known as Bermondsey antiques market. It’s located at Bermondsey Square on Tower Bridge Road.

.

The market is open every Friday. The antiques dealers start setting up their stalls around 3am and start packing up at 12 noon. Serious buyers start arriving around 5am with their flashlights!

The majority of stalls sell antiques from Georgian and Victorian eras, so try and get there early to snap up their finest pieces. I used to like to go to a stall holder who sold miniature framed artists’ sketches – which later went on to become huge portraits – most of the sketches were from the 1800s and were a steal for ten English pounds!

Talking of stealing, the opening hours of the market reflect the ancient law of “market ouvert”, which was only abolished in 1995!! Under this law, if an item was sold between sunrise and sunset then its provenance could not be questioned, so stolen goods could be traded and good title would pass to the purchaser. Someone told me that this still goes on, but I’ve never witnessed it.

As the market closes at noon, I would suggest a modern-British lunch at The Garrison (Bermondsey Road). It’s a gastropub and Michelin recommended restaurant. Try out lots of lovely innovative dishes washed down with local ales or wines from around the world. Check out their cinema downstairs too!

.

Once lunch is over, you still should have time to visit the Design Museum. Opened in 1989, the Design Museum was the first in the world devoted to the design of mass produced objects. The museum was founded by Sir Terence Conran, who set up the Boilerhouse design project at the Victorian and Albert Museum. When the V&A decided not to make this permanent, Conran turned his attention to Butler’s Wharf. The museum is housed in a sparkling white building that was originally a 1950s warehouse, which was converted to a modern style by architects Conran Roche. The building’s elegant facade has views of the River Thames and Tower Bridge. Its stark and spacious interior is the perfect setting for its collection of innovative design.

.

Valerie Wills is a British born designer now living in San Francisco and running her own design firm, Valerie Wills Interiors. Valerie Wills studied interior design at London’s Westminster University. Valerie enjoys mixing old and new, be it from an existing piece, treasures from her client’s travels, books or art work, to build a uniquely personalized space - turning a house into a home.