Old Spitalfields Market

This guide to Old Spitalfields Market traces the market back to King Charles II's original charter, then follows Robert Horner, a former market porter who financed the iron-and-glass hall you see today. It also follows the generations who found refuge here: Huguenot silk weavers, Irish families, Jewish refugees and Bengali communities, each reshaping the market in turn. Look up at the ironwork as you walk the stalls and think about who built it.