Market Place (Finchley)
Encyclopedia
Market Place is a road in Finchley
, north London
.
It was the site of the largest pig
market
in Middlesex
, founded in the late 17th Century. Pigs would be fattened on grain left over from London's gin
distilleries before being sold on to London butcher
s. In the 19th Century the market declined in importance and was only held once a week, and towards the end of the century was reduced to occasional auctions.
From the earliest days, the market had a reputation for squalor and immorality. The notorious highwayman
and burglar Jack Sheppard
was held at the George Inn on Market Place following his fourth arrest whilst disguised as a butcher.
Following heavy bomb
ing during World War II
the market was extensively rebuilt, with most of the shops closing. The last shops closed on the street in 1973, and the only commercial premises remaining is a single pub, the Duke of Cambridge. However, the area maintained its association with pig farming well into the 20th Century, with a herd of 25 pigs kept on nearby Prospect Place as late as 1955.
No trace of the market now exists other than the road name.
Finchley
Finchley is a district in Barnet in north London, England. Finchley is on high ground, about north of Charing Cross. It formed an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, becoming a municipal borough in 1933, and has formed part of Greater London since 1965...
, north London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
It was the site of the largest pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
market
Marketplace
A marketplace is the space, actual, virtual or metaphorical, in which a market operates. The term is also used in a trademark law context to denote the actual consumer environment, ie. the 'real world' in which products and services are provided and consumed.-Marketplaces and street markets:A...
in Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, founded in the late 17th Century. Pigs would be fattened on grain left over from London's gin
Gin
Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
distilleries before being sold on to London butcher
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
s. In the 19th Century the market declined in importance and was only held once a week, and towards the end of the century was reduced to occasional auctions.
From the earliest days, the market had a reputation for squalor and immorality. The notorious highwayman
Highwayman
A highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw, usually, travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who traveled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads...
and burglar Jack Sheppard
Jack Sheppard
Jack Sheppard was a notorious English robber, burglar and thief of early 18th-century London. Born into a poor family, he was apprenticed as a carpenter but took to theft and burglary in 1723, with little more than a year of his training to complete...
was held at the George Inn on Market Place following his fourth arrest whilst disguised as a butcher.
Following heavy bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
ing during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the market was extensively rebuilt, with most of the shops closing. The last shops closed on the street in 1973, and the only commercial premises remaining is a single pub, the Duke of Cambridge. However, the area maintained its association with pig farming well into the 20th Century, with a herd of 25 pigs kept on nearby Prospect Place as late as 1955.
No trace of the market now exists other than the road name.