Avoid London’s overpriced shopping districts by exploring its lively flea markets instead, where you can haggle over secondhand souvenirs and get to know the locals. From mid-century homewares to designer clothing, you never quite know what you’ll find.
Portobello Road Market (Photo: Mark Tominksi via Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0)
Nothing connects you to a place quite like rifling through its old belongings. Buzzy, bargainous flea markets are scattered all over London, bubbling with cheap as chips treasure. Here is a list of eight of the best to visit — just don’t forget to bring cash with you.
Portobello Road Market
Portobello Road is one of the world’s most famous antique markets. Over 1000 vintage sellers populate the street, which stretches from Notting Hill to Ladbroke Grove. Antiques, jewellery, books, records, clothing, food — almost anything you can think of can be found here. Dealers with creased faces and calloused hands shout about their wares while people take pictures in front of the pastel-coloured Georgian houses. Meanwhile, street performers busk beside street vendors, who send the scent of freshly grilled beef burgers singing through the breeze. Shopping here is completely immersive, like stepping into a caricature artist’s canvas.
306 Portobello Rd, London W10 5TA
Open: Mon-Sat 8am-6:30pm
Chiswick Car Boot Sale
Families and vintage traders arrive in leafy Chiswick, West London, to sell eclectic treasures to early bird bargain hunters. Buyers can enter the Chiswick School grounds (where the market is hosted) from 7am and the earlier you arrive, the better deals you’ll find. There’s a particular focus on mid-century furniture, with everything from G Plan coffee tables to 1970s Ercol chairs sitting in the dewy grass. For those without a car, there’s an abundance of clothing, art, jewellery, baby clothes, fabrics and more.
Staveley Rd, Chiswick, London W4 3UN
Open: first Sunday of the month from 7am
Greenwich Market Yard (Photo: Paul Wilkinson via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
Greenwich Market Yard
On a clear day sunlight slopes through the glass covering of Greenwich Market, dappling sellers’ items in white light. The stalls change daily: Wednesday and Friday to Sunday specialise in arts, crafts and designer makers. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday focus on antiques and collectibles. Despite the market’s recent regeneration to help preserve its historic architecture, the atmosphere still swells with memories of the past. Dating back to 1737 and located on the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, there’s a sense of travelling back in time while walking the cobbled paving stones — until the aroma of chocolate brownies brings you back to the present.
Greenwich Peninsula, London
Open: daily 10am-5.30pm
Deptford Market
Sellers with nicotine-stained fingernails, boxes bursting with broken bric-a-brac and musty, moth-eaten clothes — Deptford Market comes as it is. This traditional London flea populates Deptford High Street, Douglas Way and the junction with Griffin Way. Although most of what’s being sold is junk, there’s a thrill to be found in hunting for a rare gem in amongst it all. The area is soaked in history too, with the market dating as far back as 1872 when it was first used to sell foreign cattle and sheep.
Deptford High Street, Douglas Way and the junction with Griffin Way, London SE8
Open: Wed, Fri and Sat 9am-5:30pm
Vintage for sale at Pimlico market (Photo: Courtesy of Capital Car Boot Sale)
Capital Car Boot Sale, Pimlico
Fashion students are regulars at the Capital Car Boot Sale, where Londoners gather to rehome the contents of their overstuffed wardrobes. Located at a school in Pimlico, every Sunday throughout the year the indoor and outdoor spaces of this market are lined with fold-out tables, piled high with retro objects, paperback books and designer clothing. There are people from all walks of life here; from shop owners selling off excess stock to high profile locals decluttering their townhouses — it’s not impossible you’ll find a 1970s Dolce and Gabbana dress for £20.
Pimlico Academy, Lupus St, Pimlico, London SW1V 3AT
Open: Sun from 11.30am
The Jubilee Market, Covent Garden
The Jubilee Hall in Covent Garden is rich with history, making it the ideal place to house a weekly antique and collectibles market. Every Monday you’ll find row upon row of vintage dealers, each arranging delicate figurines on shelves and spilling stories to one another over a black coffee. The central location means the market prices can be high, but it also depends what you’re looking at. There’s everything from rare 17th century heirlooms to Sterling Silver jewellery to long-necked cat ornaments. Each timeworn oddity stirs a yearning for an era you never knew.
1 Tavistock Court, London WC2E 8BD
Open: Mon 5am-5pm
Classic Car Boot Sale (Photo: Donna Rutherford via Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0)
Classic Car Boot Sale
Mods and rockers flock to see the 1950s candy-coloured cars and retro fashions at the Classic Car Boot Sale. Held twice a year in Kings Cross — although more dates are being added in different parts of the city for 2020 — Vintage dealers travel from all over the country to sell psychedelic smocks and patchwork flares, atomic lamps and Bakelite brooches. Almost every guest looks like they’ve just stepped straight out of Grease. The shared passion for all things vintage kitsch gives this market a strong community feel, where you’re just as likely to leave with a new friend as you are a Crimplene dress.
Battersea Car Boot Sale
There’s no need to set an alarm; the Battersea Car Boot Sale doesn’t start until 1:30pm every Sunday. Enjoy a lazy brunch then amble over to the Harris Academy to queue, but keep your wits about you. On entry, panicked sellers field impatient hagglers while two strangers argue over the value of a crochet cushion. In the distance, somebody tries to convince a confused buyer that a Primark dress is actually Versace. This chaotic energy is all part of the fun, especially when you call dibs on a great deal. Items for sale include antique ornaments, children’s clothing, vinyl records, furniture, art and books.
Harris Academy, Battersea Park Rd, Battersea, London SW11 5AP
Open: Sun from 1.30pm