My contribution to the creation of Borough Market (retail food market).

Borough Market has a rich history, but in the 1990’s its operation as a wholesale  fruit and veg market was dying as it became more and more difficult to compete with the other wholesale markets that had moved from cramped central London to more efficient transport locations (notably Covent Garden and Spitalfields).

But at that time there were a number of people that loved the decaying market buildings and businesses and through a happy coincidence brought about a revival that few could have predicted would result in the incredible success story that is Borough Market today.  Some of those people include the late George Nicolson (BM Trustee), Randolf Hodgson at Neal’s Yard Dairy, Monica Linton at Brindisi, and myself, Stephen Harrison.

In 1997, when Bankside was a cultural backwater, I was Chair of Southwark Festival; a month long autumn festival of visual and performance arts.  The Festival had its office in Borough Market and I proposed that the Festival for 1998 should have a focus, a theme, of Food.  We invited Henrietta Green to create a 3 day Farmers Market as part of an inclusive  arts programme based mainly on the theme of food. It was a resounding success, convincing the Borough Market Trustees of the potential and one of the main contributions to the incredible revival  of Borough Market.  See separate personal video.

I was totally committed to the success of Borough Market and was Chair of the SRB (Single Regeneration Budget) Borough Market Partnership Board which secured the £4M needed to refurbish the decaying roof structure.

In 1999 after the first of the regular monthly markets I decided to step down from the committee work and join the traders with my own French Food and Wine offering.   I have family living in Southwest France and together we sourced artisan produce throughout the region making regular trips in our own rather old white van, and was accepted by the Borough Market as the only specialist French food and wine trader. 

After the success of the original monthly market, it was decided to take the bold step to a weekly market every Friday and Saturday.  I still remember the first Friday taking only £3 that day!  I then took over the vacant shop No. 2 Bedale street, but this property was to be demolished for the Thameslink 2000 Railway, so a year later transferring the lease the No.5 Bedale Street and creating Bedales Wine Bar.   Previously an architect’s office.  I saw the potential to open the rear wall directly into the Market and the opportunity for a balcony overlooking the market.

Meanwhile, the French Food and Wine business continued to develop and I was one of the first to sign a lease for the newly refurbished market cages, where we continue to operate 26 years later, re branded Le Marche du Quartier (a translation of Borough Market).