Origins

It is believed that the name Smithfield is a corruption of the Saxon "Smeeth Felde" and that livestock auctions and the slaughter of animals have been taking place on the site for at least 800 years.
Public executions were also held on the site and between 1554 and 1558 200 martyrs were burnt at the stake. There are memorials to some of those killed on the site on the north wall of Saint Bartholomew's Hospital.
The City of London gained market rights for the site under a charter granted by Edward III in 1327.
In 1852 the Smithfield Market Removal Act was passed and the livestock market was relocated to a new site at Copenhagen Field, Islington. This was followed in 1860 by the Metropolitan Meat and Poultry Act which led to the construction of new buildings on the site.

The New Market Buildings

Sir Horace Jones the City architect was appointed to design the new buildings and work began in 1867.
Initial works consisted of digging a huge hole to accommodate the railway sidings which were to receive the meat trains. Above the sidings the East and West Market buildings were erected and the whole complex was completed in a year.
The new buildings were opened in a grand ceremony headed by the then Lord Mayor, James Lawrence, on 24th November 1868.
Such was the success of the market that a third building was added in 1873 and adjacent to the market the Port of London Authority built cold stores to store meat being imported through their docks.
The General Market and Annexe were added in 1879.

Poultry Market Fire

The third building added in 1873 was destroyed by fire which burnt for 4 days in 1958 with the tragic loss of two firemen, Jack Fort-Wells and Richard Daniel Stocking . There is a memorial plaque in Grand Avenue adjacent to the war memorial to commemorate them and their sacrifice.
In 1962 a new building was built to replace the destroyed structure; designed by Ove Arup and Partners it was every bit as cutting edge and revolutionary as the original. It boasts one of the largest pre-stressed concrete domed roofs in Europe if not the world.

Refurbishment

In 1994 Taylor Woodrow were appointed by the Corporation of London to refurbish and redevelop the site. This project included the conversion of the railway sidings below the building to a two level car park, two additional floors in the East and West market buildings and the provision of refrigeration throughout the site.

The refurbishment was completed in July 1998 and the three buildings have served the market successfully for the twenty years since then.

After the refurbishment, several buildings became redundant; the General Market and Poultry Market are currently being redeveloped to house the London Museum.

Activity information

there will be a tour route setup up through the East side of the building that visitors can walk through on their own, with staff at either end to help. There will not be tours led by guides. There will be information on each of the family businesses along the route for visitors to read through.