Chrisp Street Market is the central marketplace and town centre[1] of Poplar and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was the first purpose-built pedestrian shopping area in the United Kingdom, rebuilt as part of the 1951 Festival of Britain and is directly connected onto the high street, East India Dock Road.[2]

Chrisp Street Market
The market stalls are located under a canopy
LocationPoplar, Tower Hamlets, Greater London
Coordinates51°30′45″N 0°00′52″W / 51.5125°N 0.0144°W / 51.5125; -0.0144
AddressChrisp Street
Opening date1951 (relocated from street)
ManagementTower Hamlets London Borough Council
OwnerPoplar HARCA
ArchitectFrederick Gibberd
EnvironmentCovered
Goods soldGeneral goods
Days normally openMonday–Saturday
Number of tenants80
Websitewww.chrispstreet.org.uk

It features a prominent clock tower, shops, small retail outlets, pubs, cafes, flats, and 80 market stalls.

History edit

Chrisp Street Market was designed by Frederick Gibberd, and built as part of the Festival of Britain in 1951. Since 1997 it has been in a conservation area.[3]

In the 1990s, the London Docklands Development Corporation contributed £1.3 million to refurbishment of the market area.[4]

In the early 2000s, Chrisp St Library was closed and replaced with a larger 'Idea Store' designed by David Adjaye, a place for lifelong learning with computers and rooms for community use.[5]

The Tower Hamlets London Borough Council transferred ownership of the shopping arcades along with the rest of the Lansbury Estate to Poplar HARCA, a locally based housing association, in 2006. This association commissioned architects to draw up a master plan for the market.[6]

As of 2015, the commercial properties are managed by Capital Properties (UK) Ltd,[7] while the market stalls remain under the management of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.[8]

The market was the main focus point and filming location of E14: A Dying Trade, a short documentary filmed in 2011.[9]

Chrisp Street On Air edit

From November 2013 to April 2014, Chrisp Street Market was host to a project entitled 'Chrisp Street On Air' - a pilot exercise in rejuvenating London markets.[10] The project, conceived by multidisciplinary design firm The Decorators, began with a radio station set up within the market and available online. The radio station invited locals to explore the market's history, character, and future.[11] The radio component also informed a further programme of events in conjunction with local organisations, such as a boxing exhibition with the Lansbury Amateur Boxing Club. The project also incorporated new market furniture for eating, along with stalls to facilitate the events. Poplar HARCA, the owner of the market, used recommendations based on the project to apply to the Greater London Authority for a new round of funding.[12]

Dining edit

East End of London favourites such as pie and mash are available alongside Chinese and Indian food outlets. Chrisp St Market also hosts "Bite", a monthly street food market taking place on the last Friday of each month.[13]

Transport edit

Trains edit

The market is served by All Saints and Langdon Park DLR stations.

Buses edit

London Buses Routes 15, 108, 115, D6, 309, D8 and Night Route N15 serve the market.

References edit

  1. ^ "Chrisp Street Market". 13 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Chrisp Street Market". 13 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Chrisp Street regeneration proposals". Tower Hamlets. 7 October 2009. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015. para 8.5
  4. ^ "Completion booklet". LDDC. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  5. ^ Jeff Chu (2009). "Feature: David Adjaye". Fast Company. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  6. ^ "Architects' master plans" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2016. including Chrisp Street Market at pages 13-14. Casey Fierro, 2009.
  7. ^ "Capital Properties (UK) Ltd". Archived from the original on 23 December 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  8. ^ Chrisp Street Market, National Market Traders Federation. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  9. ^ E14 A Dying Trade
  10. ^ "Chrisp Street on Air - the-decorators". the-decorators.net. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  11. ^ "This is Temporary: Transient Architecture - DesignCurial". www.designcurial.com. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  12. ^ "How temporary projects are redefining architecture". It's Nice That. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  13. ^ Bite Street Food Archived 27 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Chrisp St Market, April 2015

External links edit