Lower Marsh Market

Lower Marsh Market is a street market adjacent to Waterloo station in the London Borough of Lambeth.

Despite its central location the market has a relaxed and "backwater" feel. Lower Marsh, South Bank's Market, is a great place to shop, eat and drink. Lower Marsh and The Cut formed the commercial heart of the area from the early 19th century. The street market then established has operated almost continuously since this time. At its peak, the market stretched from Blackfriars to Vauxhall. The building of Waterloo Station in 1848 and its subsequent expansion cut the street off from the riverside, and created a number of yards and cul de sacs from former streets. These fragments exist alongside surviving courts and alleyways characteristic of urban development in the 18th and early 19th century.

In the twentieth century war damage, and subsequent housing redevelopment has significantly changed the historic street patterns and urban scale to the south. Widening of Baylis Road and the growth of The Cut as a main traffic route in the 1960s led to the confinement of the street market to Lower Marsh, and a break down of the urban grain between Lower Marsh and The Cut. The buildings on Lower Marsh Street represent many phases of development and many different styles. Amongst the diverse buildings are some interesting examples of early 19th century vernacular architecture, continuing the Georgian vernacular patterns and layouts of the 18th century, for example some buildings retain lateral front entrances with side passages and corner winding stairs, others retain noteworthy façade details, butterfly and M shaped roof patterns, slate or clay tile coverings, etc. Internally, some 19th century buildings retain panelling, wider floorboards, old timber wall plates, bressumers and other oversized structural timbers. Good examples of shopfronts from different eras are present on the street and are worthy of enhancement. Courts and alleyways and streets off to the sides still retain some original sett or yorkstone pavings.