Description

TQ 3381 COMMERCIAL STREET

SP 788/14/795A Spitalfields Market

GV II

Market buildings including 2 banks. Designed by George Sherrin and built between 1885 and 1893 for Robert Homer, the last private owner of the market. Built around a rectangular plot facing on the east to Commercial Street, South to Brushfield Street and North to Lamb Street:-
Central northern block (Lamb Street) -dated 1885 on rainwater heads. Red brick with stuccoed gables. Steeply pitched plain tiled roof with 5 gables; dormer to right hand bay; slab chimney stacks. 3 storey plus attics. 6 bays. Original shop fronts to ground floor with panelled doors having overlights of rectangular panes and strip windows of2-pane depth at 1st floor level. Shallow canted 3-light bay windows through upper floors except right hand bay; gauged brick segmental arches and keystones to recessed sashes with panes to upper lights only. Right hand bay with segmental arched tripartite sash to 1st floor; 2nd floor, 2 paired segmental arched sashes with bracketed sills. Continuous 2nd floor stucco sill band. Bays with dentil cornice and enriched frieze below 2nd floor windows. Rectangular floral design cut and rubbed brick panels between bays at 2nd floor level. Egg and dart eaves and gable cornices. Gables appear as timber framed, each with 2-light sash.
South eastern block (Brushfield Street) -dated 1886 on rainwater heads. Three left hand bays form banking premises. Red brick with stucco gables and lst floor inner bays. Steeply pitched plain tiled roof with gables to left hand 2 bays; 4 dormers. Slab chimney stacks. 3 storeys plus attics. 7 bays. Ground floor similar to Lamb Street apart from 3 left hand bays and 3 bay return channelled stone with round-arched windows; right hand entrance square-headed with oculus above, left hand round-arched with fanlight. All with console keystones. Upper floors segmental arched sashes with keystones, glazing bars to upper lights only and bracketed sills; paired to right hand 4 bays 1st floor, left hand bays 3: 1 :3 to 1st and 2nd floors; return similar. Cut and rubbed brick aprons of fruit design. Eaves and 2nd floor dentil cornice with cut and rubbed brick frieze of floral design. 2nd floor right hand bays with panels appearing as rectangular and herringbone studding. Gables appear as timber framed, each with 2-light window and egg and dart cornice.
Central eastern block (Commercial Street) -1886-93. Red brick with stuccoed gables. Slated hipped roof with glazed ridge lantern. 3 bays 2 storey with giant arcade of rusticated gauged brick arches. Ground floor similar to Lamb Street. Cornice at 1st floor level extending across pillars to form capitals. Upper floor with 3-light casement, having glazing bars, segmental pediments and keystones, with shaped and panelled surrounds set within the arches. Brick parapet with stuccoed panels and stepped cornice. 2 bay return and rear facade to market similar.
Central eastern corner block (Commercial Street) -dated 1887 on central plaque. Red brick with stucco gables. Red plain tile roofs steeply pitched to eaves, 3 gables (to central and end bays); 6 dormers. Tall slab stacks. 3 storeys plus attics. 14 windows to Commercial Street; 2 window return to Brushfield Street; 2 window right hand return. Central vehicle entrance of 3-centred arch rising through ground and 1st floor with rusticated gauged brick spandrels and stucco keystone surmounted by a flush parapet with panels of cut and rubbed brick in floral design. Ground floor similar to lamb Street. Upper floors, segmental arched sashes with keystones; paired to left side. Glazing bars to upper lights only. 1st floor sashes with bracketed sills; 2nd floor bracketed continuous sill band beneath which a dentil cornice and frieze of cut and rubbed brick in floral design. Similar rectangular panels flank sashes above vehicle entrance with central plaque having coat of arms and inscribed "Spitalfields Market/Rebuilt by/Robert Homer/during the year of/Queen Victoria's Jubilee/1887". Egg and dart eaves and gable cornices. Gables appear as timber framed with 4-light windows.
Central Southern block (Brushfield Street) -dated 1889 on rainwater heads. Two right hand bays form banking premises. Red brick with stucco gables and 2nd floor apart from end bays. Red pain tiled roofs steeply pitched to eaves, gables to end bays; 4 dormers. Tall slab stacks. 3 storeys plus attics. 12 windows in 6 bays. Ground floors similar to lamb Street apart from 2 right hand bays and return of arcaded channelled stone with enriched keystones to central round-arched windows having panelled aprons; flanking panelled doors with radial patterned fanlights. 1st and 2nd floor of end bays with segmental headed sashes having keystones and glazing bars to upper lights only. 1st floor sashes with cut and rubbed brick aprons of fruit design. 2nd, floor inner bays, square-head sashes with glazing bars to upper lights only and flanked by stuccoed panels; continuous sill band beneath which a dentil cornice and frieze of cut and rubbed brick floral design. Gables appear as timber framed with paired sashes to each.
North eastern block (Commercial Street) -dated 1891-3 on plaque and gables on right hand return to lamb Street. Red brick with stucco gables and 1st floor return; brick quoins. Steeply pitched tiled roof to eaves, gables to end bays and return; 2 dormers. 3 storeys plus attics. 13 windows to Commercial Street, 21 to lamb Street. Ground floors similar to lamb Street. Commercial Street upper floors facade with segmental headed sashes having keystones and glazing bars to upper lights only. 1st floor with bracketed sills; 2nd floor, continuous bracketed sill band beneath which a dentil cornice and frieze of cut and rubbed brick in floral design. Gables appear as timber framed with paired sashes to each. Egg and dart eaves and gable cornices. Return to lamb Street with similar ground floor to lamb Street, similar 1st floor windows but square-headed 2nd floor sashes with 2 rectangular panels of cut and rubbed brick in floral foliar design to inner bays. Egg and dart eaves and gable cornices. Gables appear as timber framed with tripartite sashes surrounded by pargeted designs of baskets of fruit, fruit pickers and boughs of fruit; left hand gable dated 1893, right hand gable dated 1891. Plaque to 1st floor left hand bay inscribed "This marketlwas finished rebuilding/by R. Homer 1893".
All the buildings at Spitalfields Market form a group.

Listing NGR: TQ3367381846

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Old Spitalfields Market at Wikipedia
• Old Spitalfields Market official website
• Wikidata Q43470

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

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  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
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  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
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  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)