Building Surveys also known as Structural Surveys, Property Defect Reports , Building Disputes Surveys,
We have written this article for you to read and enjoy and to give you an insight into one of London's popular markets. Before you start to read it we would like to tell you a little about ourselves.
We are Independent Surveyors that carry out Building Surveys in The City of London including wards such as Aldgate, Portsoken, Billingsgate, Cheap and Tower. We also do valuations and schedules of condition on commercial properties in and around the Leadenhall Market area.
As Surveyors we probably pay more attention to properties around us than most people do even when we are not surveying them! We always recommend lifting your line of sight above eye level as there are some beautiful buildings to be seen and ones that most people miss as they rush about with their daily life. Surveyor tours are something that we would like to introduce. These would explain the architectural styles and details that we see when carrying out Building Surveys. We are also happy to walk a client around an area that we know as well as explaining the results of the structural survey of their house, office or shop.
Leadenhall Market is situated in The City of London and is one of London's top tourist attractions.
A: ADDRESS Although the market is known as Leadenhall Market it is actually located on Gracechurch Street and not Leadenhall Street . As Independent Surveyors we have often carried out Building Surveys in The City of London.
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Leadenhall Market |
B: BUTCHER
The Butcher of Leadenhall is not an infamous serial killer as the name might suggest but is in fact the resident commercial butcher that sells a wonderful selection of British Free Range meat in Leadenhall Market. They also sell free Range Turkeys and Geese for Christmas sourced from a farm in Suffolk.
C: COMMERCE
Leadenhall Market has been given exclusive selling rights in London throughout its history signifying its importance as a centre of commerce. In 1488 leather was only allowed to be sold from Leadenhall Market and in 1622 the same rights were enforced for cutlery.
D: DIAGON ALLEY
Leadenhall Market was famously used in the Harry Potter movie, The Philosophers Stone, for some of the exterior shots of Diagon Alley and the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron pub and Inn.
E: EATING OUT
Leadenhall Market is located in the City of London and is home to some wonderful cafes, pubs and restaurants including the Lamb Tavern which has been part of the market since 1780. Over the years our Surveyors have carried out Building Surveys on many pubs in the form of Commercial Building Surveys, Schedules of Condition and Property Reports.
F: FIRE
The Great Fire of London destroyed much of the City of London including part of the original Leadenhall Market. The famous ‘Monument' designed by Christopher Wren erected in commemoration of the Great Fire is located close to Leadenhall Market near the southern end of Gracechurch Street and is said to be where the fire started.
G: GRADE II LISTED The beautiful Victorian Leadenhall Market place has been a grade II listed building since 1972. The covered market was constructed in 1881 with the front built in a classical style with red brick and Portland stone and the roof from glass and wrought iron. As Surveyors we often carry out Building Surveys on listed buildings in London . Owning a listed building can be difficult to maintain and we have often advised on problems regarding rising damp, alterations carried out without consent and wrong materials used in repairs such as cement mortar used for re-pointing instead of a lime mortar which promotes dampness. |
Cement re-pointing promotes dampness in older buildings |
H: HISTORY
Leadenhall Market is on the original site of the Roman Forum-Basilica at the centre of Roman Londinium. The original market dates back to the 14th Century and was located in the grounds of a merchants mansion originally for use by his tenants. This fine home had a leaded roof hence the name Leadenhall. Leadenhall Market went on to become an important commercial area with visitors from abroad coming to see how industrious and prosperous the market had become. The meat and fish Market first occupied a series of courts, behind the grand lead-roofed city mansion of Nevill House on Leadenhall Street, in the 14th Century. As early as 1321 it was an established meeting place of the Poulterers whilst the Cheesemongers brought their produce to the Market from 1397. The Corporation of London acquired the freehold of the property in 1411and the spacious market continued to be used for the sale of fish, meat, poultry and corn. In 1666 parts of the Market were damaged by the Great Fire and were subsequently rebuilt. |
Leadenhall Market |
The existing wrought iron and glass roof buildings were designed by the City Architect Horace Jones, and built by the Corporation in 1881. During the early 19th Century one of the most celebrated characters in the Market was Old Tom, a gander from Ostend who came to England by chance, due to his fascination with one of the lady members of his flock. It is recorded that over two consecutive days 34,000 geese were slaughtered in the Market but Old Tom managed to escape execution. He became a great favourite in the Market and was a regular customer at the local inns where he was fed titbits. He died in 1835 at the formidable age of 38 and was buried in the Market. Information source: Sign board at Leadenhall Market |
Leadenhall Market stunning architecture |
I: INDEPENDENT SURVEYORS
As Independent Surveyors we have carried out a variety of different surveys in the City of London including Residential Building Surveys and also Commercial Surveys. If you are buying a house or business in and around the Leadenhall Market area then call us for a truly independent opinion, we are not influenced by Banks, Building Societies or Estate Agents!
Why you have never seen any buildings surveys or structural surveys like ours
J: JONES (SIR HORACE) .
Sir Horace Jones was the Architect and Surveyor responsible for the design of the ornate Leadenhall Market. He also designed Billingsgate and Smithfield 's Market. He became president of the Institute of British Architects in 1882. |
Inside Leadenhall Market |
K: KEEP ON RUNNING!
Gracechurch Street and Leadenhall Market form part of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Marathon course that starts and finishes at the Mall.
L: LIVERPOOL STREET
Liverpool Street Station is one of the busiest in the UK . The station was built on the original site of the Bethlem Royal Hospital (Bedlam as it is better known). The station was modernised in the 1980's and 1990's. Liverpool Street is one of the closest stations to Leadenhall Market.
M: MONDAY TO FRIDAY
Leadenhall Market stalls are open Monday to Friday. The public areas are open 24 hours a day with the shops having their own specific opening times. |
Leadenhall market shops |
N NEARBY ATTRACTIONS AND FACILITIES
Leadenhall Market is close to many places of interest including the Tower of London, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and Southwark Cathedral.
We have included other places of interest for you to visit in London at the end of this article.
0: OLYMPICS 2012
Leadenhall Market is not far from some of the venues of the London 2012 Summer Olympics including the North Greenwich Arena (O2 arena), The Mall and Hyde Mark. The Summer Olympic Games is the biggest major sports tournament in the world. Held every four years host countries have included the U.S.A, Russia, Australia, Spain, France, Greece and Germany .
P: PEN SHOP
The Pen Shop in Leadenhall Market is Europe 's largest writing instruments store. Here you will find a large selection of pens and accessories including some from high end designers such as Mont Blanc and Caran D'Ache.
Q: QUEEN ELIZABETH II CONFERENCE CENTRE (QEIICC)
Situated in the heart of Westminster, only a couple of miles from Leadenhall Market is the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre opened by the Queen in 1986. Located amongst many of London's top tourist attractions such as the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben the centre is a purpose built venue able to cater for up to 2,500 people. The centre is also committed to sustainability.
R: ROYAL EXCHANGE
Close to Leadenhall Market is the Luxury Shopping Centre in the Royal exchange. The Royal Exchange was originally built as a Centre of Commerce in 1565. This was destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666 as was its replacement built on the same site. After the end of the war the trading ceased in The Royal Exchange and it became the Mermaid Theatre. The building has since been re-developed and re-modelled twice since then and now the Grade I Listed Building houses some of the World's most expensive brands such as Cartier and Tiffany & Co. Our Surveyors have been involved in various redevelopment projects and we have also carried out reports on commercial properties in the form of Schedules of Condition and property reports.
Schedule of Conditions for Commercial Premises
S: ST MARY AXE
30 St Mary Axe more commonly known as The Gherkin can be seen just around the corner from Leadenhall Market. The building also has the accolade of being London 's first sustainable Tall Building and uses half the energy of similar buildings.
T: TOURISM
Tourism plays a huge part in the success of the market. Visitors come from far and wide to visit this Victorian market. London is always a favourite tourist attraction which has been boosted by the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics Games of 2012. Leadenhall is one of a number of markets that attracts the tourists to London . Other top destinations include Covent Garden , Camden Market, Spitalfields Market and Portobello Road. |
High decorative features within Leadenhall Market |
U: UNDERGROUND
The London Underground is one of the largest and busiest train systems in the world. There are 75 lines running within it and it serves 275 stations. The Tube as it is also known, because of the tube shaped tunnels that the trains use to navigate around London , is the easiest way for tourists to see the Capital. Underground Stations close to Leadenhall Market include, Monument, Bank and Liverpool Street .
V: VENUE HIRE
Leadenhall Market can be hired as a private venue. The unique way of closing off the central avenue using made to measure Gable Ends gives guests an exclusive and unusual experience with restaurants located within the market providing the catering.
W: WALKING TOURS IN LONDON
There are many guided Walking Tours available in the City of London to suit all tastes. Tours include The Shakespeare Walk, the Celebrity Tour that features film locations and celebrity homes and even a Grim Reaper Tour that includes some of the haunts of Jack the Ripper and the Bloody Tower.
X: XMAS IN LONDON
London is famous for its Christmas Lights that usually get switched on by a favourite celebrity every year. Regents Street and Oxford become filled with people waiting for what has become a special occasion.
Y: YE OLD COCK TAVERN
Less than two miles from Leadenhall Market is the Ye Old Cock Tavern. The public house is said to be the narrowest building in Fleet Street and has been on the same site since 1887. Some of the taverns more famous and historical clientele include Charles Dickens and Samuel Pepys.
Z: ZONE- CONGESTION
Leadenhall Market is located inside the Congestion Zone so charges will apply if you drive into London .
Leadenhall Market is very easy to reach via public transport both by train and by bus.
Leadenhall by Train / The Tube - There are three London Underground Stations within walking distance of the market.
1. Monument Tube Station is 4 minutes from Leadenhall Market
2. Bank Tube station is 5 minutes from Leadenhall Market
3. Liverpool Street Station is 6 minutes from Leadenhall Market
Leadenhall Market by Bus – There are many buses that stop near Leadenhall Market, these include;
8 – Bow to Oxford Circus
26 – Hackney Wick to Waterloo
35 – Clapham Junction to Shoreditch
40 – Aldgate to Dulwich
Leadenhall Market by Car – Driving into London can be difficult but there is a car park only about ten minutes' walk from Leadenhall Market at Q-park, Bucklesbury House, 4 Walbrook, London, EC4N 8DQ.
Spitalfields Car Park, Eden House , Spital Square, Spitalfields , London E1 6DX is a fifteen minutes' walk away.
The George Inn in Southwark
Sutton House in Hackney
Fenton House in Hampstead
Carlyle House in Chelsea
Ham House and Garden in Richmond
St Mary Spital Charnel House, Spitalfields
Jewel Tower, Westminster
Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner
Apsley House, Hyde Park Corner
Dr Samuel Johnson - Gough Square , Holborn, London EC4A 3DE, City of London
Sir Jack Cohen (1898 – 1979), founder of Tesco, grew up here - 91 Ashfield Street, Whitechapel.
We hope you enjoyed our article on Leadenhall Market and our comments from an Independent Surveyors point of view. Here are some links to some other articles that we have written and that may be of interest you.
What does a surveyor do on a structural survey?
We survey buildings in the City of London. Our independent surveyors are experienced and qualified and produce high quality surveys including Structural surveys, Building surveys and valuations on both residential and commercial properties. We use surveyors who are experienced with old properties, many having direct hands on experience of working on listed buildings. Equally we understand newer construction, it may look the same to the untrained eye but performs very differently and we would say is built to a price not a quality standard. We also survey buildings that have been altered and extended both with and without planning permission and building regulations. We solve and deal with building disputes and can also help you with your extension and alteration design work.
If you are purchasing a property in London please ensure that you have a building survey carried out on it. A building survey, prepared by a chartered building surveyor could literally save you thousands of pounds. The survey only needs to uncover one potential problem with the property and the cost of the building survey is more than recovered.
If you book a building survey in London with 1st Associated surveyors you will find that we take great pride in the quality of our building survey and produce a very detailed building survey report, whether it be for a residential property or a commercial property. We use plain English in our building surveys to explain any problems with the property to ensure that you understand the problems and how to resolve them.
We are independent surveyors. We are independent of any lender or bank or mortgage company. When we are surveying a property we are working for you, not them. This means we are working towards your best interests. We want to ensure that your property investment is sound and that you are receiving value for money.
We are independent building surveyors that operate throughout the UK. As building surveyors we are often asked to work on not only a residential building survey but also a boundary walls dispute survey or a specific defects survey if you have a problem with dampness or cracking in your property for example.
We are also commercial building surveyors, we can provide schedule of condition survey, property report, dilapidations report and a commercial building survey - our independent building surveyors have the skills and experience to save you money on your commercial building purchase.
We have a wealth of experience in providing Building Surveys to make sure you are buying the right property and providing market Valuations to ensure that you are buying the property at the right price. If you have any particular property problems we can carry out a Specific Defects Report.
Call us today on free phone 0800 298 5424 to discuss the services we offer. We are more than happy to talk about what the Building Surveys involve, these are also sometimes known as Structural Surveys or Engineers Reports.
References
Whilst most of this is written from local knowledge of the area, here are some websites that we think may interest you, some of which we have used for information and we would like to give them credit for this. We are only human so if there are any amendments or additions or updates we would be pleased to receive your feedback so we can keep our website up to date.
visitlondon.com, english-heritage.org.uk, nationaltrust.org.uk, londontown.com, alondonguide.com, networkrail.co.uk, , visitthecity.co.uk, leadenhallmarket.co.uk, royalexchange.co.uk