Broadway Market

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F Cooke's pie and mash shop stands at the southern entrance to Broadway Market. (January 2006)

Broadway Market is a street running from London Fields to the Regent's Canal in Haggerston in the London Borough of Hackney, East London.

Before the late 20th century it was the site of a busy fruit and vegetable market, but this slowly dwindled over time - in the early 2000's, market activity was limited to a couple of stands selling produce. On 8th of May 2004 a 'Farmers' Market' was launched on Saturdays which has since become firmly established. Broadway Market is closed to traffic when the market is being held (9am - 5pm). Thanks largely to the market a number of new restaurants and boutiques have opened in the area.

The ongoing development of Broadway Market has sparked a local debate about the perceived gentrification of Hackney and the way Hackney council disposed of some of their commercial property portfolio. In late 2005 a group of local protestors occupied 34 Broadway Market (Francesca's café) to bring attention to the issue. Despite being evicted on the 21st December 2005 the building was successfully reoccupied on 27th December (replacing the demolished roof in the process) before the protestors were again evicted on 23rd February 2006. It remains to be seen how this issue will be resolved. Allied to this, a campaign has gained momentum to fight the eviction of popular local shopkeeper Spirit, whose shop was sold to an overseas developer by Hackney Council.

Broadway Market, and specifically the barber shop, was the location for David Cronenberg's 2007 film, Eastern Promises. Along with many squares and streets in the East End of London, it is rumoured that the old Broadway Market partly inspired the BBC soap opera EastEnders.

[edit] Getting there

Closest London Underground station:

• Bethnal Green

Railway stations:

• Cambridge Heath
• London Fields

[edit] See also

• List of farmers' markets
• Ben Eine (artist)

[edit] External links

• Broadway Market Official website
• An article about Broadway Market in thelondonpaper
• Save Tony's Café! Ongoing Broadway Market Campaign news
• Market Forces - Hari Kunzru, writing in The Guardian December 7th, 2005.
• EASTeight Magazine for the Broadway Market area

[edit] Images of Broadway Market

Francesca's café re-occupied after some demolition. (January 2006)	Protest at Hackney Town Hall against the proposed eviction of Spirit, another very popular shopowner. (February 2006)	Spirit, a face of Broadway Market	Fresh fruit, in a vibrant market. (December 2006 )
The Dove gastropub. (January 2006)