THE PRETTIEST MARKET IN LONDON
Flowers are my favourite thing about spring. It’s amazing how as soon as everything around you explodes in blossom your spirits are lifted and you can’t help but have a smile on your face. As the weather finally warmed up, I’ve been also doing a lot more walking around London photographing all the beautiful flowers, cherry blossom trees and wisteria covered townhouses.
But by far my favourite flower themed destination in London is Columbia Road Flower Market (one of only two street flower markets in Europe!) so a couple of Sundays ago me and Lydia (@lydiarachellife @lrbrandstories), who is a professional photographer and the author of all the stunning photos in this post, headed east to hang out amongst all the flowers, eat cakes and do a little photo shoot.
Columbia Road Flower Market is no doubt the most picture perfect of all London markets (and there are many). Every Sunday morning this little East London street fills up with traders selling all sorts of cut flowers, indoor and outdoor plants, bulbs, seeds and herbs. Be prepared though, the place gets extremely busy with tourists taking photos and locals on a hunt for bargains. The atmosphere is really lively too with stall holders making jokes and advertising their wares loudly in a true East London fashion.
Head here early in the morning to get the freshest of the blooms or wait until after 2pm when the market starts winding down if you’re after snapping a bargain. The offer is very seasonal and in April you can expect flowers such tulips, hyacints, roses, peonies and forsythias. When we went, there was also one stall selling fresh cherry blossom branches which were very popular.
But there’s a lot more to Columbia Road than the market itself. The little street is uniquely composed entirely of sixty independent stores selling anything from antiques, homeware and art to cupcakes, vintage clothes and stationery.
After you pick a bunch (or five) of seasonal blooms head down the adjoining Ezra Street and into a cute little courtyard to indulge in a coffee and a slice of cake at Lily Vanilli bakery.
You can expect plenty more beautiful spring flower photos here and on my Instagram soon as I’m heading to Amsterdam next week. Make sure you follow me on Instagram to stay up to date with all the happenings @whatdominikadid . What’s your favourite thing about spring?
Photos: Lydia Rachel
