Whenever I tell someone I’ve never been to Columbia Road Flower Market, they tell me I will love it.
Rows of pansies
I finally made my way there this morning and everyone was right.
So what did I love about it?
- the old rubbing shoulders with the new
- crumbling shop facades
- the salvaged and restored at Kitchen & Garden Antiques
- cupcakes in a vintage wooden cabinet at Treacle
- crispy calamari at Lee’s Seafood
- getting excited over stacks of Poole Pottery two-tone tableware (but less happy when I was quoted £7 for a small bowl)
- finding a honey and tahini croissant-like bread for dinner
- turning a corner and discovering the surprise that is Ezra Street
- Jones Dairy, it used to be a working dairy but is now a food shop and café
- the weird and the wonderful in the second-hand markets
- finding new and inspiring objects
- people getting excited about the grass-clad Innocent Drinks van
- the happy atmosphere or is it the crisp weather?
A chocolate cupcake at Treacle
These black eucalyptus look unreal
A good Lassie waiting outside the shop
Just some of the offerings at Kitchen & Garden Antiques
Hi Rudolph! He moves his head
Unusual breads at this stall in a shop on Columbia Road
What could be more appealing than a bagel-lined window?
An interesting jacket in a market near Ezra Street
Busts and tiles
Ducks or pigs to take home?
Or a Jaws head?
Everyone can be a driver in this car
A charming little place for tea and bagels
Interesting mosaic #1
Interesting mosaic #2
Vintage enamel pails and new enamel bins
Replies
deborah: Macaron was very good but I think I enjoyed the tart better. I’ve got this thing for shortcrust pastry. Apparently the staff were dressed in burlesque style (but not too raunchy) outfits before.
b: I’ll email you my number soon. As for the jacket, it’s quite mild and crisp now but I don’t know if it’ll last. Always bring a raincoat I say…
Rhiannon: Wow he must really love the sport. How long do you have to play before you get to the “cauliflower ear” stage?
enuwy: Chiara (from work) has the palpitations too. It’s rather scary. Maybe it’s something about our office. And what a coincidence, look where I went to today! Been planning for weeks to go to Columbia Flower Market. You could probably do Columbia Market, Brick Lane and Spitalfields in a day. It’s really vibrant on a Sunday, quite unlike London.
amisha: I think I had another “me day” today. Oh, and the macaron made me smell Bailey’s all day.
A note on: culture, flower, garden, home, lifestyle, market, old, panasonic lumix dmc-fz50, trip
i think my dad played for about 15 years both before i was born & after. i remember going to see him play when i was about 4 years old. even though he was only an amateur player he was reviewed in “the times” once! yeah you have to be pretty into it to sacrifice your ears! wasn’t the weather great today. you got some great shots.
I know the Poole you mean – it is too expensive. I have hope that one day I’ll find some of equally good quality in a charity shop!
i love it there too…
btw, i love your knitwear but I don’t think I would have any chance to wear them in this tropical weather…
I went to this market for the first time recently too. A friend lives near bye there and she said I’d love it, of course she was right. Hi by the way!
That jacket! Love it!
see you, g xo
errhh… is bacon and mayo a common thing for bagels over there?
such gorgeous shots from the market… i really love that cupcake display!
Not a flower lover but was dragged to Columbia Market by my wife. Boy, was it great. Walking through Columbia Road itself with a camera while dodging pots and flower bulbs was an experience. Took the better part of the morning and almost the entire afternoon to cover every streets branching off the main thoroughfare.
Thanks for those brilliant pictures!
C K
There is a very good and informative website about the street, shops and the flower market at http://www.columbiaroad.info if you plan on visting