City of London Billingsgate Wharf, close to
Lower Thames Street, became the centre of a
fish market during the 16th and 17th centuries but did not become formally established until the '''''' (
10 Will. 3. c. 13).
Billingsgate Market Act 1846 The '''''' (
9 & 10 Vict. c. cccxlvi) repealed various older enactments relating to the market.
Repealed enactments Section 1 of the act repealed ? enactments "so far as they relate to or affect the Supply of Fish to and the Regulation of the said Billingsgate Market", listed in that section. The opening of the railways changed the nature of the trade, and by the late nineteenth century most of the fish arrived at the market via the
Great Eastern Railway.
Poplar In 1982, the fish market was relocated to a new building complex in
Poplar, close to
Canary Wharf financial estate. The freehold owner of the site is the
London Borough of Tower Hamlets, but the
City of London Corporation still runs the market; they pay an annual ground rent stipulated in an agreement between the two councils as "the gift of one fish". Most of the fish sold through the market now arrives there by road, from ports as far afield as
Aberdeen and
Cornwall. Billingsgate Market is open from Tuesday to Saturday. Trading commences at 4 a.m. and finishes at 8:30 a.m. Security for the market is provided by the private
Market Constabulary. Traditionally, the only people allowed to move fish around the market were licensed fish porters. The role dates back at least to
Henry VIII, and was officially recognised by the
Corporation of London in 1632. In 2012, a bitter battle was fought between modernisers and traditionalists. The modernisers won and the role of the porters ended. ==Future==