Poultry market is closing this month and all meat traders will be gone in five years as historic site becomes new home of Museum of London
At midnight while Londoners sleep, work is just beginning for the traders at Smithfield market. As the trading day gets under way, punctuated by the crashing of pallets, the screeching of vans and the smell of raw meat, the complex is an island of hustle and bustle in an otherwise still city centre.
Traders dressed all in white – save for the red splatters of blood on their fronts – carry animal carcasses into the historic buildings to be sliced and diced throughout the night until dawn breaks over a part of the capital better known these days for its nightlife and financial services.
Above: loading up for morning trading by trolley and by hand; the market’s central arcade, Grand Avenue. Below: traders work while London sleeps
