Chatsworth Road Market

Chatsworth Road (from Clifden Road to Rushmore Road)
www.chatsworthroade5.co.uk
Overground: Homerton, Hackney Central, Clapton and Hackney Downs
Sunday 11am-4pm

Before the war Chatsworth Road Market was one of east London's biggest with over 200 stalls trading throughout the week.  The proceeding years were not kind to the area or it's market and by the 1980s there were just a few stalls left and the market eventually closed in 1990.

Since that time the area has revived and an enthusiastic local residents and traders association has worked to revive the shops and introduce a vibrant and diverse Sunday market which has flourished and become a firm favourite with the locals and intrepid tourists prepared to venture this far east.

Chatsworth Road is a great place to visit on a Sunday with delicious street food, vintage clothing and household goods and a wide choice of food stalls allowing visitors to buy a good deal of their weekly shopping on the street.

One of the most trusted traders is the fresh fish stall which always has responsibly sourced fresh fish at very reasonable prices.  The cheese stall is also a firm favourite offering British and Alpine cheeses with plenty of advice and tasters for the curious.  The bakery stall is popular and very well priced and Downland Produce is a regular here offering their own organic free range meat.  

Fruit and veg is not well represented on the road, but there are two very good stalls in the courtyard of Rushmore School where they are joined by a second-hand book dealer and a bike stall selling used bikes, bike parts and offering servicing and repairs while you wait.  

Back on the main strip you can find vintage and new clothing and jewellery with quite a few designers selling their own creations and plenty of discounted items to appeal to bargain hunters.  The plant and flower stall run by Brett and his family is another favourite, with a great choice of cut flowers and healthy looking plants.  He's been trading here for years and even when things are quiet always keeps smiling, 'things will always get better!' and, judging from the changes on Chatsworth Road, he's right.

Street food stalls are well represented, offering treats from around the globe from fresh falafels to good old fashion scotch eggs and sausage rolls.  The two lads serving freshly made Tempura Prawns, Kara-age fried chicken and other freshly made Japanese delicacies are very popular and well worth a try.

Chatsworth Road and its market have gone through a transformation in recent years and it's heartening for any market lover to see how with the support of local residents and traders a market can rise from the ashes and bring trade and vitality to an area – long may it continue.