When first built, Columbia Market in Bethnal Green was a huge Victorian Gothic building with room for 400 stalls and a market hall, surrounded by shops, with flats for the traders above them. The idea was to provide jobs and houses for local people and supply Eastenders with affordable and nutritious produce.
Today, all that remains of that tradition are the cramped and crammed stalls of nearby Columbia Road flower market, a revived Sunday morning fixture where locals, hipsters and tourists cram into just one road for flowers, plants, gardening ephemera and equipment, surrounded by a fringe of other shops, cafes and delis.
The market fell out of use in 1880 and the original building was eventually demolished in 1958 but railings and gates, topped by two large lanterns remained as the fence of the Columbia Market Nursery School at the western end of Columbia Road.
Now the two lanterns and the gates and railings have been restored by Heritage of London Trust (HOLT) with the collaboration of Tower Hamlets Council, The Ironmongers’ Company, the local nursery and various other local stakeholders.
“Columbia Road Flower Market is on everyone’s cultural radar, but how many people know about the magnificent building that once graced the site of the old Columbia market?” said Dr Nicola Stacey, the director of Holt.
She added: “The restoration of the Victorian symbol should be very important to the people of the community as it is a nice way to tell a story about a woman named Angela Burdett-Coutts.”
Burdett-Coutts was a dedicated supporter of east London’s community. The only part of her contribution to east London that has survived are the gates, which serve as a reminder of the “woman unknown” behind old Columbia market. Burdett-Coutts, a friend to Charles Dickens and Queen Victoria, became England’s richest woman in 1837 and was actively involved in philanthropy all her life.
Stacey said that Burdett-Coutts “built this magnificent building, the scale of which was magnificent; it was simply breathtaking, and the interiors were incredibly grand.”
Stacey said that the fact that residents of Bethnal Green attended her funeral and paid their respects is significant evidence of her contributions to the community and the improvement of housing in the East End.
“It conveys a crucial message to these young children and people to reflect on their responsibility and contribution to heritage building, the difference it can make, and the sadness of its loss,” said Stacey.
The gates were ceremonially opened by a three-year-old student from Columbia Road Nursery School. The nursery will now have the grand entrance for kids and parents entering the school.
Lynn Cottle, Headteacher of Columbia Market Nursery School, said: “We’re excited about this project as the gates were clearly so grand in their day and we’ve always been proud of this site. We are so pleased that they have been returned to their former grandeur, which further enhances the distinctive nature of this unique local area.”
She added: “We are very grateful to Heritage of London for making these vital renovations with such skillful craftsmen. Heritage of London Trust has been wonderful taking the time to engage the children in this project.”
Councillor Kabir Hussain, Cabinet Member for Environment and the Climate Emergency, said: “The restoration of the Colombia Market gates contributes an overall improvement to our public realm, and not only reinvigorates our streets, but highlights the rich cultural history of our borough.”
Hussain added: “Our borough is full of interesting historic sites, and as a council, we are dedicated to restoring and protecting their heritage through our Historic Buildings Grant, which helped make this restoration possible.”
