Please read and enjoy our article and watch your FREE LONDON MUSIC VIDEO at the end Jellied eels wobbling in a bowl, a splash of vinegar and a chunk of fresh bread.
Yummy! What a way to spend a Sunday morning!
Even better if you get a chance to grab a bargain off one of the Petticoat Lane stalls and wander smugly to your next port of call, a Thames riverside pub for a pint of ale or glass of chilled white wine. Oh the thought of it!
OK, so jellied eels are not everybody's cup of tea (sorry about the mixed metaphor)! And some people prefer ice cold lager to a warm beer (there's no accounting for taste!); but visitors to London wishing to get a taste of an old-fashioned London market should really visit Petticoat Lane on a Sunday morning .
Petticoat Lane is one of a number of traditional markets lying to the east of the City of London , others being Old Spitalfields market and Brick Lane . A little further east is the Columbia Road Flower market
|  | East End riverside pub |
| Petticoat Lane Market is possibly one of the oldest surviving markets in Britain . It takes place along and around Middlesex Street , in the East End of London.
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| In Tudor times , this street was known as Hogs Lane , a pleasant country lane lined by hedgerows and elms. It is thought that City of London bakers were allowed to keep pigs in the lane as this was outside the city walls.
By the 15th century , the area today known as Petticoat Lane , had become a commercial district where second hand clothes and bric-a-brac were sold and exchanged , it was then known as 'Peticote Lane' .
Unfortunately, the population around Peticote Lane was devastated in the Great Plague of 1665 ; the rich fled and London lost a fifth of its population. |  | Toy soldiers |
| Huguenots fleeing persecution arrived in numbers in the late 17th century , many settled in the area, and master weavers settled in the new town of Spitalfields . The area already had an association with clothing , with the dyeing of cloth taking place and subsequently being pegged out on hooks in the surrounding fields.
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| From the mid-18th century , Petticoat Lane became a centre for manufacturing clothes , and the market provided the City of London elite with their garments.
In about 1830 , Peticote Lane's name changed again to Middlesex Street. However, the old name continues to be associated with the area.
A further wave of immigrants, this time Jews fleeing persecution in eastern Europe , settled in the area from 1882 .
The chapels, that had previously served the Huguenot community, now became synagogues ; the area remained one of grinding poverty. Jewish immigrants entered the local garment industry and efficiently maintained the traditions of the market. |
|  | | Colourful Saris | The East End of London sufferred severe damage during World War II and resulted in the dispersal of the Jewish communities to new areas. The area around Middlesex Street suffered a decline in fortunes.
Petticoat Lane market, however, continued to prosper, and a new wave of Asian immigration beginning in the 1970's restored the area's vitality - centred on nearby Brick Lane .
Petticoat Lane market is open Monday to Friday on Wentworth Street alone, but on Sunday extends over many of the surrounding streets, with over a thousand stalls . It is closed on Saturday , and on Sunday closes at about 2 pm . The markets are well signed from local stations. |  | | Please take me home! |
| Despite its fame and history, Petticoat Lane market is not specifically designed as a tourist attraction. A more 'tourist friendly' market is the newly-refurbished Spitalfields Market nearby, which boasts a more upmarket selection of stalls.
Petticoat Lane remains a busy and vibrant market, reflecting both its immigrant history and its continuing popularity with locals and tourists. Petticoat Lane market has always been renowned for the 'patter' and showmanship of the market traders.
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| Some, selling crockery, would pile an entire setting onto a large plate, and then send the lot, high into the air and catching it on the way down. This was to demonstrate the skill of the vendor, and the robustness of the porcelain. Not to be tried at home, folks!
If you're not persuaded to hand over cash for porcelain or clothes or any other goodies on offer then please try the jellied eels with a splash of vinegar and a slice of fresh bread.
Go on, live a little!
One way or another the experience will guarantee a lasting memory of Petticoat Lane! |
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