Contributed by Margaret Storr
One of my favourite places to visit in London, and to take visitors, is Leadenhall Market. Tucked away amid the skyscrapers, in the heart of the city, is this lovely Victorian gem, which, upon entry makes one feel that one has taken a step back in time to a secret Dickensian world.
This delightful ornate structure has been a market since 1445. It was later demolished by the Victorians and re-constructed in 1881 by the same architect who designed Tower Bridge. Leadenhall Market is full of sumptuous detail. The walls of the permanent shops are painted in burgundy, cream and cedar green. The shops have beautifully scripted names in Victorian
style written above large plate glass windows.
Now an upmarket retail centre, full of eateries, pubs and shops, Leadenhall Market features in many films. Most famously where
HARRY POTTER bought his wand for Hogwarts in “Diagon Alley”. The shop at no. 42 Bulls Head Passage on the Southside was
used to portray “the leaky cauldron”, in the first Harry Potter movie The Philosophers Stone.
Getting there: Take the Circle or District Line from Tower Hill Tube Station. Get off at Bank/Monument, one stop. Or 10 minutes walk from Leonardo Hotel to Leadenhall Market on Gracechurch Street.