New Covent Garden Market has unveiled The Garden Wall, a striking commemorative installation celebrating the rich heritage, community and ongoing story of the UK’s largest fruit, vegetable and flower market amid its 50th anniversary year.
Situated just inside the entrance of the redeveloped Buyers’ Walk – part of a redevelopment of the Nine Elms site – the wall showcases a vibrant collection of personalised plaques, purchased by individuals and businesses to mark the longstanding relationships they have with the UK’s largest horticultural wholesale market.
New Covent Garden Market’s 175 wholesale traders largely work through the night selling fruit, vegetables and flowers from the 37-acre Nine Elms site. Traders and market staff who were at the tail-end of their Thursday night, Friday morning shift attended the first of two unveiling ceremonies at 6am.
The unveilings featured speeches from Gary Marshall, Chairman of Covent Garden Tenants’ Association (CGTA), Wanda Goldwag OBE, Chair of Covent Garden Market Authority (CGMA), Jo Breare, General Manager, CGMA, and Marsha de Cordova, the local MP for Battersea.
Comment from Gary Marshall: ‘The Garden Wall is a big part of the efforts to mark the 50th anniversary of the market’s move to Nine Elms. We’ve celebrated the people who have been so important here, who have done so much to shape this market’s recent history. I know that you, like me, are immensely proud of what this market represents and of the community we are all part of. For many of us here today, the people who have done so much to make New Covent Garden Market what it is were not just colleagues, but members of our own family, extended family or close friends. This wall is part celebration, part commemoration.’
Comment from Wanda Goldwag: ‘I’ve been in position as Chair of Covent Garden Market Authority for around 14 months and one of the things that became apparent almost immediately when I first started in the role was how important the unique community of people within the market is to its success. It’s a community that has evolved organically through the centuries and as such, there are so many storied names and characters etched into its history, including many, many family names that have stood the test of time – often those names have been attached to companies here and several businesses can trace their family legacy here back through six, seven and eight generations. There is no other wholesale market in the country that sells the quality or breadth of product, or that services such a diverse range of high-end catering, hospitality and independent retail customers. This wall is testament to many of the figures and firms who have got this market this far.’’
To date, The Garden Wall has raised nearly £10,000 for the Covent Garden Tenants’ Association’s nominated charities. This adds to the £100,000+ already raised as part of the market’s 50th anniversary celebrations. The wall remains open for additional plaque purchases, with space available for those wishing to have a permanent reminder of their place in this growing legacy.’
