Birmingham Wholesale Markets facts for kids
The Birmingham Wholesale Markets are like a giant supermarket for businesses! They are the biggest markets in the United Kingdom where shops and restaurants buy fresh food and flowers in large amounts. Imagine 90 different shops all selling things like meat, fish, poultry, fruit, vegetables, and flowers. These markets cover a huge area, about 31,000 square meters, which is bigger than four football fields! They are located at The Hub in Witton, Birmingham, making it easy for trucks to get there from the M6 Motorway. These markets are managed by the Birmingham Wholesale Market Company, which is a team effort between the businesses that sell there and the Birmingham City Council.
Contents
A Long History: How Birmingham's Markets Grew
Birmingham's huge food markets have a very long history, going all the way back to 1166! That's when a local lord, Peter de Birmingham, got special permission from the king to hold a market. This special permission was called a royal charter. Some people even said markets had been held in Birmingham before the Norman Conquest in 1066!
Early Days: Markets in the Streets
This early market was super important. It helped Birmingham grow from a small place into a busy trading town. For hundreds of years, the markets were held right in the streets of the town centre. Records from 1553 show there were markets for corn, and even separate markets for cattle from Wales and England. By the 1700s, there were special areas for butchers and a fish market.
Taking Control: New Market Locations
As Birmingham grew, managing the markets became a big job. In 1769, a group called the Birmingham Street Commissioners started looking after the markets. They began collecting fees in 1806 and eventually bought the rights to hold markets in 1824. Later, in 1854, the Birmingham Corporation took over.
In the early 1800s, buildings were cleared from an area called the Bull Ring. This allowed the markets to be gathered in one place.
- In 1817, the Smithfield market opened.
- New fruit and vegetable markets opened in 1883.
- The pig and cattle markets moved to a new spot between 1892 and 1898.
- A wholesale fish market opened in 1869 and got bigger in 1883.
- In 1897, a new meat market with a slaughterhouse (where animals are prepared for meat) was built.
Moving to a Modern Home
Over time, the market areas became very crowded. Also, some old market buildings were taken down to build new things, like the Bull Ring Centre in 1958. Because of this, plans were made after World War II to build a brand new, modern market complex.
The first part of the new market buildings opened in February 1974. It was the biggest combined wholesale fresh food market in the UK! These markets stayed at that location until May 2018. Then, they moved to their current, specially built home at The Hub in Witton, Birmingham.
What You'll Find at the Markets Today
The current Birmingham Wholesale Markets are huge and busy!
- There's a 25,300 square meter market for horticulture (plants and flowers).
- A 3,500 square meter market for meat.
- A 3,000 square meter market for fish and poultry (like chickens and turkeys).
These markets are open from 3:30 AM every day, except Sundays. About 13,000 customers visit the markets every week to buy fresh produce for their businesses!
Images for kids
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An old record of the special permissions (charters) granted in 1166 and 1189, allowing Birmingham to hold a market.
