Surely night work at Smithfield Market was common before the 1950s ? Or am I misunderstanding “First Night Success” ? Viv.
Source: British Newspaper Archive
Source: British Newspaper Archive
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Smithfield Fruit & Veg W/sale Market 1883
- Thread starter loisand
- Start date
Possibly not Viv. Not sure what they mean by right work. As I remember it in the 60s I seem to remember they started at 4 or 5 am. The local pubs (there being strict licensing laws would have adjusted opening hours for their refreshment (opening at 5.00? and not opening in evening)
Richard Dye
master brummie
Not sure about vegetables, I do know that I would go with my uncle to pick up fish almost everyday. Fish on ice first then vegetables at the same time. This would be 53/55 ish.
Richard Dye
master brummie
Ah, I do remember those baskets with the tomatoes in! Loved that place early in the morning because my uncle would take me to get hot tea and sausage on a roll!
Richard Dye
master brummie
Just took the words out of my mouth!
The building in this photo looks in a very poor state, and the weighbridge seems to have gone. I wonder if this was fairly soon before the building was removed.
The closing of the market, some welcomed the new home, others not. But either way, there was nostalgia for the old place.
Source: British Newspaper Archive
Source: British Newspaper Archive
I wondered where those "ornate iron gates were removed by conservationists" and did a quick search and found another thread, that provided the answer (thank you posters) titled:
Market Hall gates (Smithfield Market, Birmingham)
from which, I copied the press cutting below (provided by Vivienne14). it seems that the "conservationists" didn't do too good a job at conserving these gates, as they found their way from an antique dealers yard to Sotheby's in 1999, where they were sold to an un-named private buyer for £11,000. Why didn't the Council make a bid for them? Well some things don't change "we cannot bid for them because we haven't got the money".
