BILLINGSGATE

'Billingsgate' is a ward in the south-east of the City of London, lying on the north bank of the River Thames between London Bridge and Tower Bridge.

Contents

Origins

Fish market

References

External links

Origins

Originally it was known as ''Blynesgate'' and ''Byllynsgate'', and may have originated with a water gate on the Thames, where goods were landed, becoming Billingsgate Wharf, part of the London docks close to Lower Thames Street. The market was a general market for corn, coal, iron, wine, salt, pottery, fish and miscellaneous goods until the 16th century, when neighbouring streets became a specialist fish market during the 16th and 17th centuriesHistory of Billingsgate accessed 21 May 2007.
The ward includes Pudding Lane^[1], where in 1666, the Great Fire of London began'Book 2, Ch. 7: Billingsgate Ward', A New History of London: Including Westminster and Southwark (1773), pp. 551-53 accessed: 21 May 2007. A sign was erected upon the house in which it began:

''Here, by the permission of Heaven, hell broke loose upon this protestant city, from the malicious hearts of barbarous Papists, by the hand of their agent Hubert, who confessed, and on the ruins of this place declared the fact, for which he was hanged, viz. That here began the dreadful fire, which is described and perpetuated on and by the neighbouring pillar, erected Anno 1680, in the mayoralty of Sir Patience Ward, knight.''

Fish market

Billingsgate Fish Market was formally established by an Act of Parliament in 1699 to be "a free and open market for all sorts of fish whatsoever".^[2] In 1849, the fish market was moved off the streets into its own riverside building, which was subsequently demolished (c. 1873) and replaced by an arcaded market hall (designed by City architect Horace Jones, built by John Mowlem) in 1875.
In 1982, the fish market was relocated to a new building close to Canary Wharf in east London. The original riverside market hall building was then refurbished (by architect Lord Rogers) to provide office accommodation.
The raucous cries of the fish vendors gave rise to "billingsgate" as a synonym for profanity or offensive language^[3].

References

1. John Stow attributes the name from the butchers in Eastcheap ''having their scalding house for hogs there; and their puddings with other filth being conveyed thence down to their dung boats in the Thames''.
2. Lox, Stock and Barrel, Billie Cohen, , , National Geographic Magazine, 2005
3. ''Word of the Day Archive - Monday June 12, 2006'' accessed 21 May 2007

External links

★ Ward map