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Ninety seconds on Spitalfields
Yes, seven days a week and all year round, including Easter and the May and August bank holidays. As of October 2026 the stalls open at 10am on most days and at 8am on Thursday, the antiques day. The shops and restaurants around the halls keep their own hours.
Yes. As of October 2026 the market trades from 10am to 5pm on Sundays, and the Kitchens from 11am to 5pm. Sunday is the market at its fullest, with more stalls than on weekdays.
Food, antiques and vinyl. Through the week the hall hosts a changing line-up of vintage, vinyl and one-off markets alongside the everyday stalls, with antiques on Thursdays.
On foot, in about five minutes, to 16 Horner Square, E1 6EW. Liverpool Street is the closest station; Shoreditch High Street is seven minutes away and Aldgate East eight.
Browsing Old Spitalfields Market, you move from independent stalls of clothes, art and jewellery to the antiques or vintage rails of the day, then sit down to street food without leaving the Victorian hall.
Look up as you come in. The iron and glass roof over the halls dates from 1893, when the market was rebuilt with shops round its edge. Stand in the middle of the main hall to take in the full span of it.
Then walk round the edge to Horner Square and the Horner Buildings, where the Victorian shopfronts survive. Both are Grade II listed.
Next, look down. The market takes its name from the medieval hospital of St Mary Spital, and some of its ruins can be seen beneath a glass floor inside the market.
Out on the trading floor, find the hand-crafted goat sculpture by Kenny Hunter. Then leave by the east end, where Christ Church stands across Commercial Street.
Two halves make up most visits: the stalls first, then lunch. The line-up of stalls changes through the week, so look at the market's weekly schedule before you pick a day.
Thursday is the antiques market. Monday to Wednesday is the quiet stretch, with fewer crowds than the weekend and room to browse at your own pace.
The Kitchens open at 11am and close with the stalls, and the food across the hall runs from street-food stands to sit-down restaurants. Expect to eat standing up or perched on a stool. From Tuesday to Friday the lunch rush brings long queues at the popular stalls.
Haggling is part of the culture at the stalls, so make an offer rather than paying the first figure, especially on pieces popular with visitors, which tend to carry higher asking prices.
Prices are not always the bargain they look at first glance. Give an item a proper look over before you commit.
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