Comments on: Spitalfields Market Nocturne

By: Kevin McDermott

Kevin McDermott — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 11:20:15 +0000

At about 3am one damp morning in the 1960s I was driving a fire engine back to Clerkenwell Fire Station. We had been attending a fire in the East End and I was stopped at a set of traffic lights in Spitalfields Market. The place was deserted and was littered with empty boxes and papers etc. As we sat there waiting on the lights to change I noticed an old vagrant dressed in an army great coat and carrying a plastic bag shuffling along the pavement. I thought of the wonderful poignant words of the song ‘The Streets of London’
Have you seen the old man
In the closed down market
Kicking up the papers,
with his worn out shoes?
In his eyes you see no pride
and held loosely at his side
Yesterday’s paper telling yesterday’s news
………………………..
It’s a memory that has stayed with me to this day

By: Sheila Masters

Sheila Masters — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:24:51 +0000

Wonderful collection of photos. Shame there are not any night time shots of the down and outs to whom Spitalfields market was ‘home’. My parents drove up there every night for years in the late 60s – early 70s feeding the men who lived rough there. I went with them once when I was about 16. The homeless men were mostly winos but some of them were well educated – professor, teacher, doctor among those who found themselves on the streets because their life had taken a wrong turn. They used to stand around a blazing fire to keep warm before sleeping on the ground under sheets of cardboard.

By: Sheila butt

Sheila butt — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:21:09 +0000

I was born just around the corner to Spitalfiels market my grandfather worked there for years
and I always used to cut through there after work to get my nans pension, went to the new one a couple of years ago ,when I took my friend on an east end walk very dissapointed I dont know what I was expecting but all the sparkle as I knew it was gone.such a shame.