GWYDR at Leadenhall Market, London
19th September 2011
GWYDR stained glass jewellery and gifts are now established at Leadenhall Market. Every Monday and Tuesday we travel from Cardiff to set up stall in this traditional arcade. The present ornate character of the covered market place is a comparatively recent incarnation. Humbler origins date back as far as the 1st Century when it was a Roman Forum.
In the middle ages it was a meeting place for cheesemongers and poulterers, and was given its name in the 14th Century from a lead-roofed mansion that stood nearby. In 1411 it was acquired by Dick Whittington, Lord Mayor of London. They say there’s no truth in the fable of his conversational cat, but you have to wonder why a Mayor would decide to buy a meat, cheese and fish market?
Even the Great Fire of London in 1666 couldn’t end Leadenhall. Though parts of the market were destroyed in the fire, like a phoenix from the flames it was soon resurrected, rebuilt to become a covered structure. The new building was as popular as ever before and frequented by famous Londoners such as the diarist Samuel Pepys in the 17th Century, and later by Charles Dickens, who mentioned the market in his novel Dombey and Son.
Another famous Leadenhall character was Old Tom – a goose! The story goes that 34,000 geese were sent to slaughter during 2 days at Leadenhall Market in the 18th Century, but somehow this one feathery fellow managed to escape execution. He became a favourite of the locals and was fed by the inns. Eventually Old Tom died in 1835 at the ripe old age of 38, and had the honour of being laid in state and buried at the market.
Built in 1790 The Lamb Tavern may well have been one of the inns that fed Old Tom and is still a thriving pub serving food and ale to this day. You probably won’t spot any geese waddling in through The Lamb’s doors in search of a handful of grain these days, but visit any lunchtime and I’m sure you’ll see more than a few punters, having sampled the grape and the grain, waddling out!
In 1881, the architect Sir Horace Jones redesigned Leadenhall Market. The old stone building was knocked down and replaced with a new structure made of wrought iron and glass. Tearing down old buildings for new isn’t always a good thing, but in this case Sir Horace’s new build was a huge success. In 1991 it was extensively restored, so when you stride from the sunlit modern paved streets of the ‘City’, onto the cobbled crossroads laid out beneath the shade of the iron arches and glass panelled roof, it feels like a step back in time.
On a Monday morning just as the through road for delivery vehicles is pedestrianised, market traders begin setting up their stalls. Stall vendors range from those selling hot, freshly cooked food, to painters and photographers selling their art - or crafters who sell unusual gifts such as antique teacups made into scented candles, to designers like GWYDR selling their own unique handmade designer jewellery.
Traders focus quietly as they prep their stalls for the lunchtime sales to bankers, office and shop workers who fill the market streets between 12.30-3.30 every day. Around noon, when everything is set up, I buy a take-away tea from The Market Café and till the rush begins I sit back on my high stool and take in the surroundings.
The stalls are situated at the centre of the cobbled crossroads, and where Whittington Avenue and Lime Street meet. About me the colours of the market are shades of pink, burgundy, and gold. Free wall space is festooned with painted reliefs of plants, fruits and birds, and all are guarded by silver dragon gargoyles perched high and low at every entrance and exit.
But what I find most captivating are the striking contrasts between the old and the new - how they sit so weirdly, and yet so comfortably together. If you look outside, beyond the 19th Century gargoyles, you’ll see suited business men and women in an exterior glass elevator scaling the futuristic metal architecture of the Lloyd’s building. I know if I step from Whittington Avenue onto Leadenhall Street I’ll see St Andrew Undershaft Church, built in 1532, a confident David at the feet of the modern Goliath building of 30 St Mary Axe, otherwise known as The Gherkin.
The market traders’ purpose in the arcade is to sell their wares from table tops in the street, a tradition that’s centuries old. Surrounding us are designer fashion stores and award winning restaurants. They ooze quality and opulence, yet huge iron hooks jut from the outside of these buildings, a reminder of the butcher’s shops that they used to be. We each welcome the same discerning customers who browse the goods on sale with equal interest and consideration. It’s this trade, and the camaraderie amongst the traders that is and always has been the beating heart of Leadenhall Market.
