Covent Garden
French food brand
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Covent Garden Market is a historic market and visitor destination in central London, occupying the former wholesale fruit-and-vegetable market in and around Covent Garden Piazza. The market is part of the wider Covent Garden district, an area associated with the Royal Opera House, theatres, museums, restaurants, street performers, independent retailers and tourism. Although the original wholesale market moved away from the district in the 1970s, the Covent Garden name and buildings remain an important commercial and cultural brand. The site has roots in the medieval garden of Westminster Abbey. Documentary references describe the land as the garden of the abbey and convent, from which the name Covent Garden developed. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the land passed to the Crown and was granted in 1552 to John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford. The Bedford family subsequently shaped the district's urban form. In the 1630s, Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford, commissioned Inigo Jones to create an Italianate piazza, arcades, terraces and the church of St Paul's Covent Garden. The planned square became an influential example of London town planning and attracted wealthy residents and tenants. A small open-air fruit and vegetable market had emerged on the south side of the square by about 1654. Over time, the market expanded while the surrounding district developed a dense mix of taverns, coffee houses, theatres and other entertainment businesses. By the eighteenth century, Covent Garden had also acquired a reputation as a red-light district. The market was formalised in the nineteenth century. Parliamentary intervention in 1813 led to efforts to regulate the site, and Charles Fowler's neoclassical market building opened in 1830. Additional facilities, including the Floral Hall, Charter Market and Jubilee Market, were added as trading activity grew. The market's wholesale function eventually became incompatible with the area's transport conditions. By the late 1960s, congestion and delivery traffic made the central location increasingly difficult to operate. In 1974, the wholesale market moved approximately three miles south-west to a new site at Nine Elms, between Battersea and Vauxhall. The former market buildings and piazza were subsequently adapted for retail, food, hospitality and cultural uses. The central building reopened as a shopping centre in 1980, helping establish the modern visitor-oriented identity of Covent Garden. Today, the destination combines historic market architecture with shops, cafés, bars, restaurants and specialist stalls. The Apple Market is known for antiques, jewellery, clothing, crafts and gifts, while the Jubilee Hall Market provides additional stalls and casual trading space. Long Acre, Neal Street, Neal's Yard and Seven Dials extend the area's retail offer beyond the original market buildings. The district also benefits from proximity to the Royal Opera House, the London Transport Museum and major West End theatres. The market is best understood as a place brand and managed commercial estate rather than a packaged-goods brand. Its positioning rests on heritage, architecture, independent retail, food and hospitality, live entertainment and London tourism. The wider Covent Garden Estate, including the market buildings and other properties, has been associated with Shaftesbury Capital, formerly Capital & Counties Properties, which acquired the principal market holdings in 2006 in partnership with GE Real Estate. The estate is protected in part through the Covent Garden Area Trust and conservation controls, limiting redevelopment that would compromise the area's historic character.
History
The origins of Covent Garden Market lie in the medieval agricultural lands of Westminster Abbey. By the thirteenth century, the abbey's property included a substantial enclosed garden containing orchards, meadow, pasture and arable land. References to the garden of the abbot and convent eventually produced the name Covent Garden. After the English Reformation and the dissolution of the monasteries, the property reverted to the Crown. Edward VI granted it in 1552 to John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford. The Bedford family transformed the land from an estate garden into a planned urban quarter. In the 1630s, Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford, commissioned Inigo Jones to design a piazza, arcades, terraces and the church of St Paul's. The scheme introduced an Italianate architectural model that influenced later London developments. The square initially attracted affluent residents and businesses, but its character changed after an open-air fruit-and-vegetable market developed on the south side around 1654. As market activity increased, the district acquired taverns, coffee houses, theatres and other forms of entertainment. By the eighteenth century, it was also widely associated with prostitution and nightlife. The growing market required formal regulation and improved accommodation. An act of Parliament was prepared in 1813 to control the area, and Charles Fowler designed a permanent neoclassical market hall that opened in 1830. The complex expanded through the addition of buildings such as the Floral Hall, Charter Market and Jubilee Market. Covent Garden became one of London's principal produce markets, serving the capital's shops, restaurants and households while remaining embedded in a busy entertainment district. Ownership of the surrounding estate changed in the early twentieth century. In 1913, Herbrand Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford, agreed to sell the Covent Garden Estate, and the transaction was completed through subsequent dealings in 1918. The estate was later associated with Beecham Estates and Pills and then with Covent Garden Properties. In 1962, the bulk of the remaining properties, including the market, was sold to the government-owned Covent Garden Authority. Post-war traffic growth placed severe pressure on the wholesale market. The narrow streets and central location were poorly suited to the scale of modern deliveries, while redevelopment proposals threatened to replace much of the historic district. Public opposition helped secure protection for buildings around the piazza in 1973. The wholesale operation moved in 1974 to New Covent Garden Market at Nine Elms. The former market site temporarily lost momentum but was converted into a retail and leisure destination, with the central building reopening in 1980. The modern market is therefore a continuation of the site's commercial identity rather than a direct continuation of its original wholesale function. The Apple Market and Jubilee Hall Market host stalls selling antiques, jewellery, clothing, gifts and craft goods, while surrounding buildings accommodate shops, restaurants, cafés and bars. The destination is supported by nearby cultural institutions, including the Royal Opera House and London Transport Museum, and by its position within London's West End. In 2006, the principal market buildings and other estate properties were acquired by Capital & Counties Properties in partnership with GE Real Estate. Capital & Counties later became associated with the Shaftesbury Capital name. The Covent Garden Area Trust holds an important conservation role, and the area's listed and protected buildings constrain redevelopment. Covent Garden now functions as a globally recognised London visitor district whose brand combines historic architecture, market culture, independent commerce, hospitality and entertainment.
- 2010
Apple opens a Piazza store
[1]Apple opened a major retail store in Covent Garden, strengthening the destination's international retail profile.
- 2006
Estate acquired by Capital & Counties Properties
[1]The market buildings and other Covent Garden properties were acquired by Capital & Counties Properties with GE Real Estate.
- 1980
Central building reopens as shopping centre
[1]The former market complex reopened with retail, food and leisure uses.
- 1974
Wholesale market moves to Nine Elms
[1]The original wholesale market relocated to New Covent Garden Market in southwest London.
- 1973
Historic buildings receive protection
[1]Buildings around the piazza were protected following public opposition to extensive redevelopment proposals.
- 1830
Permanent market hall opens
[1]Charles Fowler's neoclassical market building opened, providing a more organised home for produce trading.
- 1813
Parliamentary regulation initiated
[1]An act was prepared to regulate the increasingly busy market and surrounding area.
- 1654
Open-air produce market emerges
[1]A small fruit-and-vegetable market developed on the south side of the piazza.
- 1630
Inigo Jones designs the piazza
[1]Francis Russell commissioned Inigo Jones to create the planned square, arcades, terraces and St Paul's Covent Garden.
- 1552
Land granted to the Earl of Bedford
[1]Edward VI granted the former abbey land to John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford, beginning the Bedford family's long association with the estate.
Products and positioning
A heritage-led London destination combining historic market architecture, independent retail, food and hospitality, cultural attractions and tourism.
Market retail
Apple Market
The Apple Market is the best-known specialist market within the historic Covent Garden complex. Its stalls focus on changing selections of antiques, jewellery, clothing, gifts, crafts and other design-led goods. The market contributes to Covent Garden's independent and experiential retail positioning, complementing the permanent shops, restaurants and cultural venues around the piazza.
Market retail
Jubilee Hall Market
Jubilee Hall Market provides additional stall-based retail within the Covent Garden destination. Its offer has included casual market goods, gifts, clothing, accessories, crafts and other visitor-oriented merchandise. Together with the Apple Market, it preserves a visible market function after the original wholesale produce operation moved to Nine Elms.
Shopping and leisure destination · 1630
Covent Garden Piazza
The Piazza is the architectural and commercial centre of modern Covent Garden. The historic square and surrounding arcades contain market stalls, shops, restaurants, cafés, bars and public activity, including street performance. Its setting links the market brand to London's West End, the Royal Opera House, theatres and museums.
Brand decisions
2006
Acquisition of the Covent Garden estateM&ABackground
The market buildings and associated properties formed part of a substantial historic central London estate.
Action taken
Capital & Counties Properties acquired the market halls and other Covent Garden properties in partnership with GE Real Estate.
Aftermath
The estate entered a modern property-management structure later associated with Shaftesbury Capital, while conservation arrangements continued to protect the historic setting.
Reported acquisition price. £421 million (August 2006)
1980
Conversion into a shopping and leisure destinationStrategyBackground
Following the departure of the wholesale operation, the historic market buildings required a new commercial role.
Action taken
The central market building reopened with shops, cafés, restaurants, bars and market stalls.
Aftermath
Covent Garden developed into a major London shopping and visitor destination while retaining a market-based identity.
1974
Relocation of the wholesale marketStrategyBackground
Traffic congestion and the operational demands of wholesale distribution made the historic central London site increasingly unsuitable.
Action taken
The wholesale fruit-and-vegetable market moved to New Covent Garden Market at Nine Elms.
Aftermath
The historic buildings were later repurposed for retail, food, hospitality and tourism, creating the modern Covent Garden destination.
Recent events
- 2010
Apple opens a major store in The Piazza[1]
Product launch · Other
Apple opened what was described at the time as its largest store, adding a major international retail tenant to the Covent Garden destination.
- 2006
Covent Garden market buildings acquired by Capital & Counties Properties[1]
M&A
Capital & Counties Properties, later known as Shaftesbury Capital, acquired the market halls and several other Covent Garden properties in partnership with GE Real Estate.
- 1980
Former market buildings reopen as a shopping destination[1]
Other
The central market building reopened with shops, food and hospitality uses, establishing the modern retail and visitor-focused role of Covent Garden.
- 1974
Covent Garden wholesale market relocates to Nine Elms[1]
Other
The wholesale fruit-and-vegetable market left the historic central London site for a new market complex at Nine Elms because congestion and redevelopment pressures had made the original location unsuitable for modern distribution.
Sources2 sources
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