A pair of 100-year-old market barrows have made a historic return to the Blue Market in Bermondsey.
The two carts, featuring their original wooden chassis and a reconstructed box, have paraded up and down south London’s streets since at least King George V’s reign.
Bermondsey fishmonger Russell Dryden got them from a retired fruit and veg trader and has brought them to the Blue as an “authentic and traditional” nod to the market’s illustrious past.
Luds Van Den Belt, Charity Manager at Big Local Works, is among those leading the area’s revitalisation. He said: “It’s more than a gimmick. Visually, we’re trying to create something that is of the day but also a nod to the rich market history of the Blue.”
A permanent fixture since October, new traders can hire them out for three-week periods, totally free.
The barrows’ chassis are identical to the sorts that would have trundled along the Blue during its late 19th-century heyday.
Founded 150 years ago, the Blue Market used to be a bustling hive of commercial activity with roughly 200 stalls lining the streets.
Changes in shopping habits and the opening of the Surrey Quays Shopping Centre in 1988 have led to the market’s gradual decline.
In recent years, it has been rejuvenated using a £2 million investment from the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund and Southwark Council’s Thriving High Streets fund.
A public space for community events has already been established and a new clock tower built at the square’s centre.
The barrows’ arrival is the latest move aiming to bring more traders and footfall to the much-loved square.
“One of our biggest conundrums is with a vicious circle where we need traders but footfall to support those traders,” Luds said.
He added: “With this ready-made pop-up for the local community, there’s a real opportunity for people to seize the opportunity and have a go.”
The barrows have already been used by traders selling fancy dress clothes, arts and crafts and household goods.
Thanks to the carts, they’ve been able to save money on things like gazebos and storage.