Panorama of Smithfield Market in London. This picture shows the eastern facade of Smithfield Meat Market.

Smithfield Meat Market - London visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Smithfield Meat Market' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Greater London.

Smithfield is an area near to the City of London. The Smithfield Meat Market has been in the area for over 800 years and is now the last remaining wholesale market in London. Over the centuries the market grew serving the increasing London population, dealing in all kinds of livestock. In 1726 Daniel Defoe described the Smithfield Meat Market as 'without question, the greatest in the world', dealing with around 74,000 cattle and 570,000 sheep each auction. The market then handled some 220,000 head of cattle and 1,500,000 sheep each year. The strain of moving so much livestock in and out of the crowded London streets resulted in demands for the market to be moved outside of London in Victorian times.

The current Smithfield Meat Market was established in 1860 and the building completed in 1886. Most of the other wholesale markets, such as the flower market which used to occupy Covent Garden, moved out of the center of London. Today, Smithfield alone remains in the center of London, providing meat to the inner city butchers. The facilities of the building have been fully modernised for this purpose, while some of the associated buildings are now used for other purposes.

Smithfield Meat Market has survived several plans for demolition and development by the City of London Corporation. The building now has listed and protected status as a significant Victorian building in the city.

Smithfield Market,
Charterhouse Street,
London, EC1A 9PQ

Tube: Barbican (Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan lines), Farringdon (Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan lines), St Paul's (Central line)
Train: Barbican, Farringdon