https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/02/06/a-brief-history-of-smithfield-market/ In the midst of life I woke to find myself living in an old house beside Brick Lane in the East End of London Thu, 06 Feb 2025 21:50:09 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/02/06/a-brief-history-of-smithfield-market/#comment-1689798 Thu, 06 Feb 2025 21:50:09 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202265#comment-1689798 I had no idea of what a grim past Smithfield had with the burnings and hangings!
Family friends of ours had the Turkey business there throughout the 1950s and 60s, and I have a lovely photo of them in our family albums meeting the late Queen Mum. And seeing St Bartholomew’s, my family were there for the funeral of my cousin John who was the former Dean of Ripon Cathedral until his retirement through ill health. We had two ‘small’ rows of seats side on for family, but the rest of the main Aisle was packed full of Church leaders from all over the country, all in their respective robes of course, with the Archbishop taking the service. My eldest brother who didn’t think he was religious at all, said “I want a funeral like this!” We laughed at the latter of course. We had refreshments afterwards down in the crypt, and cousin John’s sister Mary turned to me as we chose our sandwiches, and said the day was getting more bizarre by the moment!

]]> https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/02/06/a-brief-history-of-smithfield-market/#comment-1689652 Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:56:42 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202265#comment-1689652 Interesting parallel between the heretics dancing to their deaths and their modern day equivalents. Religion appears as the preserve of the ignorant and interestingly modern day Spitalfields’ inhabitants are not too far removed from those paying their final visit to the stakes at old London’s Smithfields.

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