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Enjoyed a few programs about London veg and meat markets on the Television.The different nationalities making a living selling food.The Asian chap who is a South Londoner buying food for homeless people,good television programs.
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What channel? I might watch this tonight.
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Sorry I can't remember Rattle channel 4 I think.Good to watch do, the meat market was a eye opener like a old fashion closed shop.
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BBC2
Wonder what happened to that guy at Billingsgate with all the rotten fish they discovered in his cold store?
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My ole mum used to work over at Smithfiled meat market as as an office cleaner, she quite often used to take me or my sister along and I would find my way up onto the roof via a spiral staircase (mischief was my middle name!)
A friend in school used to bring in fruit n' nuts that his dad had brought home from Covent Garden market, I used to 'borrow' fruit out of that market in the early hours of the morning on my way home from various dives in the West End.
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01jmvkw/The_London_Markets_The_Fruit_n_Veg_Market_Inside_New_Spitalfields/
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Where I grew up in Rotterdam South we use to pinch banana's and sell them to old age pensioners for ten cent a bunch.My old man once carried a cargo of nuts,we had nuts for months for free.Drove me nuts..;)
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Manchester's Smithfield is now the posh Northern Quarter, the market having gone to a new site in East Manchester many years ago.
Me ole step-dad worked there as a plumber for Manchester Corporation. I worked the area as beat officer for a while, alternating weeks about with the poshest bit of town. Quite a contrast ! It was chaos in the morning, the pubs were open at about 0500 and a favourite drink was milk and rum mixed.
The markets dept had their own police force...security, really, but they had similar uniforms to us with the corporation coat of arms on the cap. They had a little office and were always good for a cuppa. There was a specialised, separate fishmarket, the ornate facia still stands on High St. The meat market lads were always good for a ' wrap-up '.....a parcel of a couple of sausages, an egg and 2 rashers of bacon. This fitted nicely in the bobby's helmet on the walk back to the station frying pan at grub time.
In Summer, we could scrounge some ice cream from one of the street vans. Usually enough to fill a catering size tin can for all the station staff. This was often supplemented by one of the market bobbys finding us a couple of melons or some other fruit. The same sized tin would be presented at the back door of one of the 2 or 3 Indian restaurants and filled with curry.......all free, of course.
The old man used to turn up at home one day a week with a ' swinger ', a potato sack holding a mixed array of vegetables. As me ole mam wasn't really into cooking, these lasted us the whole week until the next one arrived.
Happy days...bedlam at 0600...all gone by mid-day.
Ted
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Back in the late '60s, I was looking for somewhere to park around Hatton Garden. I followed the blue 'P' signs, but thought the entrance was a little tight in my A35. As I parked, this fella approached and asked where I'd come from, I was in a private yard (Smithfield?). He pointed out I'd come in the barrow entrance, but as I'd managed it I could stay. I gave him the price of a pint and everyone was happy.
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Wasn't Manchester famous for Manchester trousers Ted.As a lad that's what we used to call them.Trousers that could take some hammer.One of my mother friends ended up in Manchester she married one of the locals.The clothing industrie in Manchester was it started by Belgians? I'm not sure about that industrie's past.
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Here's the story, Dutch. Big Jewish community in the city as well, still lots in the rag trade.
www.thetweedpig.com/2011/12/manchester-trouser-corduroys-world.html
Ted
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When I first started working in London in the early 70s, Covent Garden was still in, well Covent Garden. The pubs there had offset licensing hours, open at 5:00am.
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From a lorry drivers point ov view delivering to the markets all over the country was a job you either loved or hated.
I loved it!
The atmosphere in the old days was unique, the language was riper than the fruit, the jokes cheared a dull and dismal February night and the breakfast in the market after the trailer was empty and the sheets rolled back up was wonderful.
Some great characters who loved the lorry drivers who could laugh at themselves as well.
Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Glasgow and Brighton were all some of my regulars, as well as the London Markets, but Hull and Nottingham were in the streets in those days, and always a challenge.
Pat
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London markets. - RattleandSmoke
