The record-union., 1892-10-01
WAKEMAN'S WANDERINGS.
The Poet Traveller in London S
Billingsgate.
The Greatest Wholesale Fish Market
in the world-OIder than Authentic
British History-Its Ancient Fish
Wives are No More = Interesting
Surroundings and Odd Characters.
Especial Correspondence of the RECORD
UNION. Copyright. 1921

Especial Correspondence of the RECORD
UNION. Copyright, 1927
LONDON, Sept. 10. 1892.
You can fairly smell Billingsgate Mar
ket, the greatest wholesale fish market of
London, and the most important fish
market in all the world, long before you
can see it. 1t is not an unpleasant odor.
1t has a hint of the sea air in it. Tar and
oakum are suggested. Floating to your
senses, along with the coming OF the first
rays OF the morning sun broken by the
grim and lofty monument, it tells more
than of the stuffy market and its steam
ing throngs. 1t carries the fancy pleas
antly along past London's grim water
side structures and the webs or spars and
rigging, down the widening Thames, and
on past pretty Margate to the wide free
reaches of the blue North Sea. There in
that wondrous sea harvest field, from Do
yer to upper Norway, are rocking the
fisher fleets.
In olden days, indeed not more than a
quarter of century ago, these sent their
catches" direct TO the London market.
And a pretty sight it must then have
old Billingsgate wharf, just under the
shadows OF historic London Bridge: the
Dutch built eel boats with their bullying,
polished oaken sides, half hidden in the
river mist; punts packed with founders,
and small closely -crowded baskets ranged
along the seats; scores of oyster punts
filled with gray masses of sand and shell;
weather-beaten luggers packed with
herring, cod and ling; and all about the
wharf and SWarmlng like flies aboard all
manner of closely anchored fishing craft,
sailors, fishermen, costers, Billingsgate
fshwives, and fine ladies. too, engaged
IN the chaffering and bantering of eager
selling and buying.
But that day Is past. The olden color
and brightness are gone. Hard mercan-
tile thrift and modern methods have ban
ished the fine ladies who, in gentle
stunning" mood, made their own pur-
chaSes at Bllllngsgate, and took back into
choice London society the wondrous say
ings Of the Biliingsgate women, whose
tongues were the readiest and wickedest
IN all the world. The fiShWiVes are gone,
and their only existing prototypes are at
the Claddagh, Galway, Ireland.
Steam vessels scurry about the North
Sea grounds, secure the fish where they
are taken and bring them to the mouth of
the Thames. Here other larger. fast sail
ing steam craft are laden, and these, va
rying in number according to the season.
daily bring the vast fish supply of Lon
don, landing it at the very doors of Bill
lngSgate, much as the fish supply of New
4 DIRK City is set down in the East River
at the back doors Of ramShackle old Full
ton Market.
Biliingsgate Market still stands inst
where it has stood for centuries. How
many centuries no man knows Icono-
clasts without reverence for even the an
tiquities Of fish say fellow by the name
Of Billing owned a wharf upon the same
spot IN Queen EliZabeth's reign. and
hence its name. But | have seen the pre-
amble to an Act of Parliament lin 10 and
l. of William liz to make Billingsgate
free market for the sale of fish, in which.
among other ''whereases,'' is one reciting
that "Blllingsgate has time out of mind
been free market for all manner of
floating and salt fish, as also for all man
ner of Holsters and shell-fsh." Tradition.
which is good history when authorities
differ, lends the place its more fitting an
tiquity, and insists that it owes its origin
to Belin, an ancient king of the Britons,
who fourished 400 b. c., and who, obsery-
ing an opportunity for gain, like true
Briton, erected gate here through which
the fishermen of his day, after floating
upon the Thames with the tide in the
hlde-bottomed caTTdgfS, were made to
pass and pay toll before they could sell
their fish; and hence the name Belin's-
gate, finally corrupted to BilIingsgate.
However all this may be, Billingsgate
is the oldest wharf on the Thames, and
that is saying much for it on the line of
age. The market building and the
ground 1t stands upon is owned by the
London municipal authorities. Its river
frontage is 200 feet, and its superficial
area Is 10000 square feet, atfording sites
for seventeen shops and two large public
houses. 1t is located in the densest part
OF what he termed WatarSiIn
don, on the north bank of the Thames,
Just above il to the west is old London
Bridge, a'bridge probably better known
In the literature of fiction and travel than
any other similar structure in the world.
Just below it, to the east, is the new
Tower bridge, in process of construction
for the past six years. Immediately adj
joining, TO the west, are the great Levant
and Spanish fruit markets, and on the
other side, seward, stands the huge
Doric-tronted London Custom house.
Immediately opposite. across the Thames
on the Surrey side, is the tremendous
reach of the Surrey Commercial docks.
vast, grim, black, and half in mist: and
the Thames at this point between Lon
don and Tower bridges, is called s'the
Upper Pool" 1t is said to carry here
more floating traffic than any other
reach of water approaching it in size
upon the face of the globe.
Owing to the dense massing of river
traffic at this point and the inconceivably
congested nature of the population, mar
rowneSS OF streets and seeming inextrica-
bility of street traffic banking up against
and hemming in Billingsgate from all
directions, it would almost seem that
London would long since have found
some more accessible and convenient de-
pot for the disposal of her enormous fish
supply. Yet all attempts to abandon
Billingsgate or divert its trade have
proven futile. Conservatism, ;" tradition
and even superstition balk all efforts of
this character. Dealers tell me they
would go out of the business if thew had
to leave Billingsgate. Fishermen would
not feel easy about their consignments 10
any new market. Costers have repeat-
eddy told me that their best customers
among the poor of the East End would
not buy or eat fish that had not the time
honored seal OF Bilingsgate inspection
upon ii.
This popular feeling undoubtedly had
more than all else to do with two ruinous
failures to locate this vast trade elsewhere
in London. a great market was not long
ago established at HungerfoTd Stairs.
Being too far up the river and too far
from the dense masses OF the East End it
had but brief existence. 4 line drawn
north and south through the center of
London Bridge leaves population of
about 600. coo to the east, or down the
river, and about 100000 to the west.
Hungerford market was too far from the
coster sellers and lowly buyers of the
East End, who. it will be seen, really
control, rather than the weil-to-do classes,
the locality of London's fishmarket. An
other powerful attempt, index the guise
OF philanthropy, was made under the
patronage of Lady Burdett Coutts. She
caused superb building TO be erected in
East London. 1t was undoubtedly the
most perfect and complete structure of
this Kind in the world LIZ WIS called the