Smithfields meat market at night, Smithfields, London

Smithfields meat market at night, Smithfields, London

Smithfields meat market at night, Smithfields, London, originally uploaded by Craig Grobler.

Smithfield market is one of London's oldest markets, where meat has been bought and sold for over 800 years. A livestock market occupied the site as early as the 10th century.

In 1860 the Corporation of London obtained an act of parliament to construct new buildings on the Smithfield site, with work starting in 1866.

Designed by City Architect Sir Horace Jones, the buildings were completed in November 1868 at a cost of �993,816.

The two main sections of of the market, the East and West Buildings, were built above railway lines which enabled meat to be delivered directly to the market.

A Poultry Market opened in 1875, although this building was subsequently destroyed by a major fire in 1958, being replaced by a rather inappropriate building in 1962.

The General Market was added in 1883 with the Annexe Market following in 1888.

Recent modernisation has seen 44 hygenic, temperature controlled stalls replacing the original 162 stalls inside the East and West Buildings, with some parts of the building being used as office space.