Friday markets in London

Good for: antiques

Alfie’s is packed to the rafters with handsome twentieth-century home decor, hosting more than 100 dealers in vintage furniture and fashion, art, accessories, books, maps and more. Be warned, the wares down at Alfie's are all fabulous but not cheap, although some of the hundred antique dealers will be keen to strike a deal if you try some gentle bartering. 

Good for: antiques

Following the redevelopment of Bermondsey Square, the ancient antiques market – traditionally good for china and silver as well as furniture and glassware – continues in an expanded space that now accommodates 200 stalls that now include food, fashion and craft stalls. Browsing here is like going through Fagin’s gang’s loot. It's only open on Fridays so plan to end the week rooting for treasures here. 

Good for: fruit and veg, lunch

This small, buzzy street market, in a sometimes sleazy area, is one of London’s oldest. Over the years, its faced the threat of closure, but is still going strong. On weekdays, it hosts a good selection of street food stands that make for great lunch spots on the go. 

Good for: food

London’s oldest market – dating back to the thirteenth century – is also the busiest, and the most popular for gourmet goodies. Traders satisfy the city’s insatiable appetite for artisan cheeses and ham from acorn-fed pigs. If food is your thing, then Borough, with its abundance of beautifully displayed organic fruit and veg, cakes, bread, olive oil, fish, meat and booze, is a must-visit market.

Good for: food

Compared to the culinary homogeneity of Borough Market et al., Brixton is a sensory fiesta. The air is thick with the sizzle of jerk chicken stalls, tinny reggae riddims and yam-based price disputes, while the multi-coloured hues of exotic fish displays glimmer like a whiffy rainbow.

Good for: gifts, crafts, food

As something of a London institution, you will have to fight your way through crowds to get your hands on the goods at Covent Garden Market. If your elbows are sharp enough, though, you’ll be rewarded with unique handmade jewellery, arts and crafts and, on Mondays, antiques and collectables. It’s worth a visit if just for the colonnaded 19th-century building (always impressive no matter how many times you see it). Occasionally, some of the performers and entertainers in the area are even worth a watch.

Good for: household goods

Most of Deptford Market is your standard south/east London fare: three-pack pants, timber wolf fleeces, Duracells and lighters. Halfway down its length, though, is a distended gut of impacted bits and bobs, presided over by two tennis umpires up stepladders who take money, dispense change and guard against pilfering. Get digging. 

Good for: antiques

There are plenty of stalls selling bric-a-brac, second-hand clothes, ethnic ornaments, CDs, crafts and jewellery galore at Greenwich Market. On Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, the market takes a different turn with excellent antiques and collectables, so earmark those days if you're hunting for one-of-a-kind goodies. 

Good for: fruit and veg

In operation since Victorian times, Lower Marsh once claimed to be the longest street market in the UK. It doesn’t quite hold that record today, but it’s still a decent spot to pick up fresh produce and yummy hot treats, plus craft goods by local makers. Shop til you drop, then go gaze upon the beautiful London skyline from the nearby river.

Good for: antiques and collectables

Once a produce market, you won’t find even a hint of fruit or veg at Northcote anymore. Gone are the apples and pears, replaced by stalls of antiques, jewellery, collectables, vintage clothes and more. It’s the kind of place where you could easily spot a treasure, so keep your eyes peeled.