Smithfield, Historic market district in City of London, England.
Smithfield is a market district in the western part of the City of London covered by Victorian-era metal structures and surrounded by a large hospital complex and several medieval church buildings. The area spreads around a central square where covered trading halls still stand.
In the 12th century an open livestock market formed here and continued to receive live animals from the English countryside until the 19th century, selling them to London butchers. After the closure of the live animal trade in 1855 the site was redesigned and served exclusively as a meat trading center.
The name derives from Middle English "smooth field" and refers to a patch of open grassland that once lay outside the old city walls. Today the area is a working quarter where meat traders operate early in the morning and office workers from nearby medical facilities and legal chambers pass through during the day.
The area is best visited early in the morning when market halls are still open and delivery vehicles come and go. The narrow lanes around the halls may be blocked by parked vans, so walking through on foot is recommended.
Beneath the cobblestones lie remnants of a Roman road built nearly two millennia ago that once connected the city to the north. The square also served in medieval times as a venue for knightly tournaments and fairs before becoming a permanent trading place.
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