Strutton Ground Market

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use British English|date=June 2015}} {{Infobox retail market | retail_market_name=Strutton Ground Market | image=Strutton Ground market - geograph.org.uk - 679945.jpg | image_width=250px | caption=Strutton Ground Market in 2008 | location=Strutton Ground, [[St James's]], [[London]] | coordinates={{coord | 51.497194 | -0.133796 | region:GB_type:landmark | display=title, inline}} | address=Strutton Ground, [[St James's]], [[London]] | opening_date={{start date and age | 1862 | df=y | p=yes}} | manager=[[City of Westminster]] | owner=[[City of Westminster]] | environment_type=Outdoor | goods_sold=Street food, household goods, fashion | normal_market_days=Monday to Friday | website=[https://www.westminster.gov.uk/licensing/markets-and-street-trading/ westminster.gov.uk/licensing/markets-and-street-tradin] | number_of_tenants=10 | parking= | map_type=United Kingdom London Westminster | map_relief=no }}

'''Strutton Ground Market''' is a small outdoor [[Street markets in London|street market]] in the [[St James's]] area of the [[City of Westminster]]. It takes place on Strutton Ground. [[Street trading licence|Licences to trade]] are issued by [[Westminster City Council]]. The market is located on a narrow cobbled street, Strutton Ground, between Victoria Street and Greycoat Place/Great Peter Street.

The market is open weekdays from 10:00 to 16:00. The market mainly caters to local residents and the office population in the immediate Victoria Street area, selling food, groceries, books, and clothing, but is becoming increasingly popular with tourists.

==History==

Traders moving from Broadway St James's began the market<ref name="benedetta1936" /> around 1862 and it gradually grew until it lined both sides of the street by the end of the nineteenth century. At this time it numbered around 50 stalls on a Saturday and 25 during the week. The market was predominately fresh food and flowers with some clothing, especially secondhand clothes, and served a poor community. Whilst a few of the stalls were erected by shopkeepers, most were run by costermongers.<ref name="report1893" />

Between the wars, the market was noted for its floristry and did a brisk trade furnishing flowers for events at the Houses of Parliament.<ref name="benedetta1936" />

In the 1980s the market is described as still being focused on fresh food and clothing but now catering to office workers on their lunch breaks.<ref name="bergström1989" /><ref name="perlmutter1983" />

By the mid nineteen nineties, the market had been reduced down to 20 pitches with only a couple of fruit stalls and one florist remaining. Whilst cheap clothing was still available to buy the other traders were focused on office workers with watches, greeting cards, and umbrellas available.<ref name="harriss1996" />

In the twenty-first century the market followed the trend of the shops and focused on street food served to office lunch crowd. During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] the market was the setting for [[Chris Whitty]], the then [[Chief Medical Officer]], being harassed by a member of the public with the confrontation appearing on social media and then the national news.<ref name="roach2021" />

== Transport ==

=== Bus ===

=== Railway and tube ===

The nearest station is [[St James's Park tube station|St James's Park]] {{rint|london|circle}}{{rint|london|district}}.

==References== <references> <ref name = "report1893">{{cite report | title = London Markets, Special Report of the Public Control Committee Relative to Existing Markets and Market Rights and as to the Expediency of Establishing New Markets in or Near the Administrative County of London | author = Public Control Committee | publisher = London County Council | location = London | pages = 38 | year = 1893 | chapter = Appendix B}}</ref> <ref name="bergström1989">{{cite book | last1 = Bergström | first1 = Theo | title = The Markets of London | last2 = Forshaw | first2 = Alec | publisher = Penguin | year = 1989 | edition = Revised | location = London | pages = 91–92 | name-list-style = amp}}</ref> <ref name="benedetta1936">{{cite book | last1 = Benedetta | first1 = Mary | last2 = Moholy-Nagy | first2 = László | author-link2 = László Moholy-Nagy | name-list-style = amp | url = https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.72717 | title = The Street Markets of London | publisher = London John Miles | year = 1936 | location = London | access-date = 12 July 2020 | pages = 25–30}}</ref> <ref name="perlmutter1983">{{cite book | last = Perlmutter | first = Kevin | year = 1983 | title = London Street Markets | language = en | edition = 1st | location = Worcester | publisher = Billing & Sons | isbn = 0-7045-0462-6 | page = 62 }}</ref> <ref name="harriss1996">{{cite book | last = Harriss | first = Phil | year = 1996 | title = London Markets | language = en | edition = 1st | location = London | publisher = Cadogan Books | isbn = 1-86011-040-1 | pages = 52–54 }}</ref> <ref name="roach2021">{{cite news | last = Roach | first = April | date = 2021-02-04 | title = Mother of teenager who called Chris Whitty a 'liar' has confiscated her son's PlayStation | url = https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/teenager-abused-chris-whitty-mother-confiscate-playstation-b918614.html | url-status = live | work = [[The Evening Standard]] | location = [[London]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230319163304/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/teenager-abused-chris-whitty-mother-confiscate-playstation-b918614.html | archive-date = 2023-03-19 | access-date = 2024-10-10 }}</ref> </references>

== External links == * [https://www.westminster.gov.uk/licensing/markets-and-street-trading/ The City of Westminster's markets webpages] * [https://www.nmtf.co.uk/market-near-me/strutton-ground-outdoor-market Strutton Ground Market—National Market Traders Federation]

[[Category:Tourist attractions in the City of Westminster]] [[Category:Retail markets in London]] [[Category:Victoria, London]] [[Category:19th-century establishments in England]]