London Street Market collection

This is a ‘floating archive’ which Sandra Shevey has assembled celebrating five London markets from their inception until the present day. The markets profiled are: Covent Garden; Whitechapel East End; Southall horse market; Spitalfields (including Brick and Petticoat Lanes); and Bell and Church Streets. Sandra is a 63-year-old journalist who has championed the London markets for some years. Her concerns are about gentrification destroying the quality and fibre of local London life.

Sandra has amassed a comprehensive array of old photos, drawings, and prints, as well as memoirs and literary accounts of the markets. She refers to the archive as ‘Have archive, will travel’, as she is willing to take the archive to you or to arrange to have you view it at another venue.

Alternatively, she offers an insight into the archives in the course of her street market walks, as the walks use old photos and other archive material to create a sense of the markets in times past. When you take the walks, you also get to view physical remnants of the old markets, which is even more hands-on and enlightening than merely looking at photos. Fee negotiable. Contact: sandra_shevey@yahoo.com.

Sandra Sheveywrites a blog about commodification of ancient markets.  This is accessible at www.travelbite.co.uk.

She has  also completed a 30-min DVD, `London`s Ancient Markets: Their Fight for Survival`. The documentary has been award-nominated and was screened in 2010 at the London Festival of Architecture.  The documentary argues for conservation of London`s ancient markets.  The documentary profiling 4 ancient markets in jeopardy is obtainable at sandra_shevey@yahoo.com 5-min taster at http://sandrashevey.tripod.com