Smithfield Market

Smithfield is central London’s last surviving meat market. Its name derives from it being a smooth field where animals could be grazed, although its history is far from pastoral. Built on the site of the notorious St Bartholomew’s fair, where witches were traditionally burned at the stake, this is where Scottish Independence leader William Wallace was executed in 1305 (there’s a large plaque on the wall of St Bart’s Hospital south of the market) as well as the place where the leader of the Peasants’ Revolt, Wat Tyler, met his end in 1381. Described in terms of pure horror by Dickens in Oliver Twist, this was once the armpit of London, where animal excrement and entrails created a sea of filth. Today it’s a very smart annexe of Clerkenwell and full of bars and restaurants, while the market itself is a wonderful building, although one constantly under threat of destruction and redevelopment into office blocks.