Later this morning, we shall be off to Chingford to deliver Freya to her holiday accommodations. I am not sure what we will do with the rest of the day, apart from packing for the holiday but we shall certainly find something to do, as a non-work day is not to be wasted!
I am of course looking forward to going on holiday but leaving home always makes me feel a little sad. Daft, isn’t it? Especially as “home” has been many places in my life. On the way to pick up our scrumptious Indian takeaway supper the other night, I took this nighttime picture of Chapel Market. Of course, there were no stalls out at that time. The famous Pane Vino where we often go for breakfast on Sunday is visible just behind the two people crossing the road. (Click to see a larger version.)
I love Chapel Market. During the day (except Mondays), the market is in full swing with stalls selling a broad range of goods. Some Sundays, there is a French market. One time I had a rather loud discussion with a cheese merchant. I was impertinent enough to ask if she had any vegetarian cheese. She was outraged. “Ça ne se fait pas en France!” she declared. As I was only teasing her, I forbore to mention that you could buy a very nice vegetarian Brie just round the corner in Sainsbury’s…
Across the road from Chapel Market, at the “posh” end, where they have Woolworth’s and Marks & Spencer’s, in the N1 Centre, there is periodically an Italian market. We Islingtonites are so cosmopolitan!
The photo shows the less favoured end, where there are small shops, cheap restaurants (including Spices where we get our weekly takeaway) and a beat-up launderette.
Chapel Market is still a proper market with stalls selling fruit & veg, household goods, carpets (we bought our “lounge” carpet there), fish, ready-made meals, clothes, linen, etc. Gradually, though, the shops are turning into eateries and I fear the place will eventually go the way of other street markets that fade into extinction and become streets of restaurants. Councils for some reason don’t like markets and try to squeeze them out. Or maybe they prefer the higher rates they can wring out of the more upmarket businesses that replace them. Their greed degrades our life.
If you fancy visiting Chapel Market, come on a Saturday when it’s working full blast. There are other markets in North London but many are now nothing more than tourist markets selling cheap trinkets (not naming any names!). Chapel Market is the real deal.
Tags: Chapel Market, Islington
