Art photos people pictures of the Famous Old Covent Garden 1974. Gallery 1. Reportage photos of Old Covent Garden Vegetable market just before it closed by Paul E Williams
Art Photos People Pictures of the Famous Old Covent Garden 1
Archive reportage picture of Old Covent Garden Market just before it closed and moved on 11th November of 1974, photos by Photographer Paul E Williams.
By the 1960’s it became clear that, with no where to expand and with poor access for the ever increasing size and number of lorries that daily bought the vegetables to the market, that Covent Garden had to move. In 1974 the whole of Covent Market closed and reopened in a purpose build complex at Nine Elms in South London.
“In 1973 or maybe early 1974 I made these photos of old Covent Garden Market as a college project. I wanted a record the end of the old Covent Garden Market and its traders. I had to travel to the market from my flat in Kilburn by the night tube before the sun came up as the market worked through the night.
Night Time Workers
I remember walking up dark deserted streets of central London that slowly filled with noise and light as I got closer to Covet Garden, until I arrived in a nighttime world that few Londoners would ever see. It was the same world that Elisa Doolittle would have recognised with bustling pubs and cafes open all night. Lorries were being emptied by official Covent Garden porters who filled their wheel barrows with boxes of fruit and vegetables and whisked them off to the cellars of the merchants whose offices lined the streets around Covent Garden.
A Scene of Chaos
The whole market was a scene of barely controlled chaos with lorries tying to unload and load and porters rushing up and down the narrow corridors of the market. It was hard to miss the sense of tradition in the market. Fathers and sons were selling produce to buyers they knew well . It was obvious that the market traders had a pride in their knowledge and quality of their produce. They could probably trace their Covent Garden businesses back many generations.
Smart Suits
I am stuck looking at these photos 45 or so years on by quite a few things. It seems how old everyone looks, I’m not sure if this is because the porters were licensed and it was a job for life so young blood was rare. It also looks odd today to see how many of them are smoking and also how well dressed the traders were with suits and ties, many smoking cigars. Derek Trotter would have looked at home amongst them
Old Ectachrome
The photos were shot on slow 35mm Ectachrome transparency film, which due to the slow exposure in the dark market allowed the chance to capture some of the movement of the market. I also like the muted colour of the Ectachrome that seems to match my memories of the market well. This is a glimpse of Covent Garden as it will never be seen again I hope you get some of the sense of community from these archive photos”
Paul E Williams 2023
