Rathbone Market can trace its origins back to 1253, when King Henry III promised a Wednesday market in West Ham ‘forever’.
Until the nineteenth century, the market thrived in Victoria Dock Road, but the introduction of tramlines meant it needed to find a new home. This new home was Rathbone Street, Canning Town, from which the market takes its name. The market – which was particularly known for its herbalists – continued to prosper in its new location, at times stretching for nearly a quarter of a mile along Rathbone Street.
In 1963, the local council moved the market to its current site, just off the Barking Road. At its peak, the market had 160 stalls, as well as specialist second hand clothes, textiles and bric-a-brac markets. Every year, a major market was held on Good Friday, attracting hundreds of traders and many thousands of shoppers.
The new market square opened in 2015.
