Smithfield Market

Smithfield market is the largest wholesale meat market in the UK and is located in between Farringdon and Barbican tube station (where it has been for the past 800 years).
All the action starts VERY early in the morning, around 4am, on weekdays however lorries start arriving at 10pm and some stalls are still open at around 7/​8am. They mainly serve caterers, wholesalers, local restaurants in London however they do sell to the public so if you are able to visit early during the week to stock up on your meat shop for the week I can imagine it is an amazing experience.
If you are only in the area during reasonable hours, well I would still recommend a wander round the old Victorian buildings that house the market — they really are beautiful! And the modern 60’s poultry market is apparently an architects paradise with a one a kind concrete shell roof.
I recently visited on one of the monthly tours which take place on a Wednesday morning starting at 6.45. The tour guide is passionate and full of knowledge on the history of the industry, buildings etc. You get to wander round a very quiet market as nearly everything is done for the day however there are some very friendly butchers still around that will regale you with stories from days gone by, show off their goods and sell you some their meat for a reasonable price!
If in the area try and visit in any way you can! It certainly is an experience.

I do not know the history and frankly don’t want to. What I can see and feel when I regularly walk through this building is the energy. Not just of the workers delivering and selling fresh meat but a history of…
This is a wonderful building which I think is a must visit, even like me you walk through it on a daily basis. It reminds me every-​time that everything in life pass… Maybe it is the detail in the building, maybe it is the animal carcasses…
A must visit when in the area, apparently you cannot get better meat anywhere else!

Smithfield meat market is one of the oldest markets in London, meat has been bought and sold there for more than eight hundred years. Many of the best restaurants and hotels buy their meat at Smithfield, proving the quality of the meat.
Definitely a carnivores paradise, and best to arrive as early as you can, the market gets going at 4am and closes at 10am. You need a strong stomach to cope with the pigs heads and carcasses strewn across the huge market, with up to 160 stalls, there’s a lot of meat here!
There are also plenty of café’s nearby if you’re after a hearty breakfast after your early start. The building is reason enough in itself to come and have a look at the market, a huge, Victorian grade II listed building. It has recently undergone a £70 million refurbishment inside but the outer building has mostly been left alone, so it hasn’t lost its original charm.