No. 69 Billingsgate Association

Billingsgate is one of the 25 Wards of the City of London. Its name derives from being the City’s original water gate, and this small City Ward is situated on the north bank of the River Thames between London Bridge and Tower Bridge in the south-east of the Square Mile.  See map attached (click on it to expand).  The modern Ward extends south to the Thames, west to Lovat Lane and Rood Lane, north to Fenchurch Street and Dunster Court, and east to Mark Lane and St Dunstan’s Hill. The Ward at the end of the eighteenth century is shown in the attached map (click on it to expand). Until boundary changes in 2003, the Ward included Pudding Lane where in 1666 the Great Fire of London started. Billingsgate Fish Market was formally established by an Act of Parliament in 1699 to be “a free and open market for all sorts of fish whatsoever”. Oranges, lemons, and Spanish onions were also landed there, alongside the other main commodities, coal and salt. In 1849, the fish market was moved off the streets into its own riverside building, which was subsequently demolished (c. 1873) and replaced by an arcaded-market hall (designed by City architect Horace Jones, built by John Mowlem) in 1875. In 1982, Billingsgate Fish Market was relocated to its present location close to Canary Wharf in east London. The original riverside market building was then refurbished by the architect Richard Rogers to provide office accommodation and an entertainment venue.