Smithfield market

When the sun is out, which is a rare sight these days, I often get off a few stops earlier on my train. So this morning I walked through Smithfield Market, best known for its meat and poultry which it supplies daily to butchers, shops and restaurants in London.

It goes back nearly a thousand years, it's the only great London market which which has not moved out of London for cheaper land, transport and modern facilities.

Inspired by Italian architecture, the central arcade photographed is decorated in ornamental cast iron with an elliptical arch. Most of the rest of the buildings feature stone coats of arms, dragons etc too. Interestingly, designed by the Sir Horace Jones who also designed Ledenhall Market that I photographed last week. You can see the resemblance.