Petticoat Lane Over The Years

More than a thousand stalls spread over two streets make up Petticoat Lane Market. I’ve walked up and down it hundreds of times in the last 35 years. Unfortunately it’s not as lively as it was; many decades ago it was packed with shoppers from all over the East End. The market has been operating since the 1750’s or earlier and is named after the petticoats and lace once sold there by the Huguenots who came to London from France. The street was renamed Middlesex Street in 1830 by the Victorians who wanted to avoid references to women’s underwear, but the name has stuck. Today the market specialises in new goods ranging from running shoes to kitchen utensils.

Petticoat Lane c.1988

Petticoat Lane 2002

Petticoat Lane c.1988

Petticoat Lane 2003

Petticoat Lane c.1986

Petticoat Lane 2003

Petticoat Lane c.1989

Petticoat Lane 2003

Petticoat Lane c.1989

Shoe shop Petticoat Lane 2014