Leadenhall Market at Christmas gave me a welcome lunchtime break from work in December 2015. I walked across the City from St Paul’s, found the covered market full of festive decorations and lunchtime crowds, then headed back through Smithfield and St John’s Gate.
This archive film was published on 20 December 2015 as Vlogmas Day 20. The visit, performances and observations belong to that Christmas season.
A lunchtime walk from St Paul’s
I began outside St Paul’s Cathedral with Christmas deadlines approaching. I did not usually take much of a lunch break: I would get something to eat and return to work. With a late night ahead, however, this was my chance to get outside and make the day’s film.
Leadenhall was the destination. I had seen mention of festive lunchtime performances and wanted to find out what was happening. On the way, I stopped to watch a wedding photo shoot before continuing through the City streets.
The walk also prompted a personal detour in the conversation. I talked about studying finance, applying for City jobs and eventually finding my way into London’s jewellery trade. What began as work to earn some money while I kept looking became the work I wanted to keep doing.
Leadenhall Market at Christmas
The market looked wonderfully festive when I arrived. Garlands followed the lines of the covered passages, warm lights picked out the painted details, and a Christmas tree stood near the Lamb Tavern. People moved between the shops or gathered outside with drinks.
I often passed through Leadenhall on my way somewhere else. This time I stopped to look up and around. The glass roof, ironwork and closely grouped shopfronts made it easy to fill the camera frame, even with a busy lunchtime crowd passing through.
Leadenhall’s own market history and walking tour describes its redevelopment by Sir Horace Jones in 1881. It also confirms the market’s appearance in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, a connection I mentioned during the walk.
Family memories among the shopfronts
For me, the market had a more personal connection too. My great-grandfather was a butcher, although in this film I was unsure whether he had worked at Leadenhall, Smithfield or both. I noticed the old hooks above the shopfronts and thought about how familiar the place might have been to him.
I remembered coming here with my grandmother as a young child. The reason for that visit was less clear. My grandfather used to buy his staff turkeys for Christmas, and I wondered whether it had something to do with that. The purpose was uncertain, but the market itself was instantly recognisable.
That mixture of recognition and change is part of what I enjoy about London. Shop occupants come and go, yet the shape of a place can bring back a memory immediately.
The Lamb Tavern and lunchtime music
Looking towards the Lamb Tavern, I recalled earlier visits for food and beer. I had not stopped for a meal or drinks at Leadenhall for at least a year, so these were memories of past visits. On this occasion, I was enjoying a short break before getting back to the Christmas workload.
There was live entertainment too. A soprano performed show tunes as people shopped, ate and drank around the market. The music became part of the atmosphere, alongside the conversations and movement of the lunchtime crowd.
Old and new London beside each other
Just outside, I turned the camera towards the Lloyd’s building. Its exposed services and steel structure made a striking contrast with Leadenhall’s decorative roof and painted shopfronts. Moving between the two gave the walk a very different view within a few steps.
For a later visit to the market, including a stop to buy wax for my Barbour jacket, see September in London 2017.
Back through Smithfield and St John’s Gate
The film did not quite end when I said goodbye at Leadenhall. My route back took me through Smithfield, where I filmed the covered passage and reflected on how the market had changed during my time working in London. Those comments record my impressions in 2015.
Finally, I passed through St John’s Gate in Clerkenwell. Historic England dates the gate to 1504 and identifies it as the former southern entrance to the Priory of Clerkenwell. It made a fitting final stop on a walk through several layers of London’s past.
Watch the original Leadenhall Market film
The full Vlogmas episode brings together the City walk, family memories, Christmas decorations and lunchtime music, followed by the journey back to work.
