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Back in 2022 it was announced that London’s historic Smithfield and Billingsgate Markets, two of the city’s oldest meat, poultry and fish vendors, would be moving out of their centrally located homes to a new site in Dagenham, east London.
This week, however, it appears that the markets’ move has been put on hold. Despite a purpose-built site having been designed to re-home the markets, £1 billion supposedly already invested in the move and The City of London, which is overseeing the project, promising 2,700 new jobs in Dagenham, the BBC has announced that the move has now been ‘halted’. The City of London said the scheme is being reviewed to ensure relocating the markets over to Dagenham is still a financially sustainable option.
Under the halted plans, the Billingsgate site in Poplar would make way for new homes, while Smithfield would become a cultural hub and home to the London Museum – which is set to move into the former market in 2026.
It’s not clear as yet what’s next for the two markets, but the arrival of the London Museum won’t be impacted by the change in plans. The new London Museum (FKA Museum of London) outpost will be located at Smithfield’s unused western end.
Feel like reminiscing about the glory days of London’s markets? Check out Time Out's photo series on Smithfield’s midnight meat market.
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