Covent Garden Market

The Covent Garden Market is London’s oldest market. As the city began to experience an influx of settlement, there was a legal decree issued in 1835 allowing for a public fair in downtown. The public fair permitted stalls for food items like vegetables, meat, and cheese. In 1843, the market was formalized with a two-storey wooden frame structure across the street from its current location. On November 1, 1845, the land between Richmond and Talbot Streets, and Dundas and King Streets were donated to the city for a permanent covered structure and was called the Covent Garden Bazaar. Samuel Peters (who designed the Eldon House 1877 extension) and Thomas Stent designed the new Covent Garden Market which opened in 1854.

The market remained a central feature of the community, and was once again redesigned in the 1880s, altering the traditional wooden structure to a bricked façade. The most famous image of this new building was painted by Paul Peel in 1883 and shows the front entrance including the covered area for horses and carriages.

Paul Peel (Canadian, 1860-1892), "The Covent Garden Market, London, Ontario", 1883, oil on canvas, Collection of Museum London, Gift of the City of London by Mrs. Marjorie Barlow, London, Ontario, 1969.
An image of a large red building with a clock face. In the front there are maple trees in the foreground of the image.
The Market Square. Image courtesy of the Covent Garden Market.

By the 1950s the need for expansion and parking became necessary and the city approved a new building. The city closed the old market on September 6, 1956, and opened the new building on December 7, 1956, adding a parking garage that would once again be updated in 1989. The final iteration of the Covent Garden Market was opened on October 21, 1999. The latest phase of the market included adding the clocktower and renovating the inside facilities.

Today, the Covent Garden Market remains an iconic feature of the downtown core hosting various food and beverage vendors, shopping areas, and rentable space. Original Kids Theatre, an extra-curricular program focused on kids learning to gain confidence in the arts, has its home on the second floor of the Market. The Covent Garden Market also hosts specialty market events throughout the summer, and a large Christmas Market in mid-December.

An image of a winter scene with a carousel in front and a large well lit red building behind. In front there are stalls and booths.
Winter Holiday Market. Image courtesy of the London Blog, 2024.