London’s antique markets are the city’s rumbling time machines: part bazaar, part museum, part social experiment in haggling etiquette. They shimmer with Georgian silver and 1970s Bakelite, but also with big questions: is that Art-Deco cocktail shaker authentic, or just “authentic-ish”? From shadowy dawn patrols to curated, mid-century heaven, here are the capital’s top ten antique markets—complete with where and when to find them.
1. Portobello Road Market – The Classic Labyrinth
Still London’s most iconic antique haunt, Portobello Road is a sprawling adventure of stalls, shops, and curious corners stretching through Notting Hill. The Saturday antique market is the main event, offering everything from 18th-century silver to dusty Beano annuals. But even midweek, the air fizzes with possibility (and the faint whiff of mulled wine if you’re lucky). Go early, stay alert, and bring sturdy shoes—and perhaps a faint sense of superiority.
Address: Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London W11
Opening times:
- Monday–Wednesday: 9 am–6 pm
- Thursday: 9 am–1 pm
- Friday–Saturday: 9 am–7 pm
- Sunday: Closed
2. Alfies Antique Market – Marylebone’s Vintage Megachurch
If Harrods had an eccentric aunt obsessed with deco lighting and Bakelite radios, she’d live here. Alfies is a four-storey indoor wonderland of dealers offering everything from Moroccan trays to mid-century costume jewellery. The rooftop café serves existential views of the city while you digest your latest “investment piece” (or regret nothing).
Address: 13–25 Church Street, Marylebone, NW8 8DT
Opening times: Tuesday–Saturday: 10 am–6 pm
3. Bermondsey Antique Market – The Crack-of-Dawn Curiosity Crawl
Once home to the infamous “thieves’ charter,” Bermondsey’s Friday market still starts scandalously early. If you’re there at 6 am, you’ll share the fog with antique dealers, decorators and insomniac romantics. It’s grittier than the others, and all the better for it: less curated, more chaotic. Bring a torch and a thermos.
Address: Bermondsey Square, SE1 3UN
Opening times: Friday: 6 am–2 pm
4. Old Spitalfields Market (Antique Thursdays) – Hip Meets Heritage
Surrounded by London’s edgiest boutiques and beardiest cafés, Spitalfields still holds its ground as a proper antiques market on Thursdays. Expect Victorian glass, retro fashion, industrial salvage, and possibly a live clarinetist. It’s the East End with elbow patches—seriously stylish elbow patches.
Address: 16 Horner Square, Spitalfields, E1 6EW
Opening times: Thursday: 8 am–5 pm
5. Camden Passage Antiques Market – Charming, Cobblestoned and Occasionally Weird
Tucked away behind Upper Street in Islington, Camden Passage is all about atmosphere. The market may be small, but it punches well above its weight in eclectic treasure: old maps, silver teaspoons, pocket watches that don’t work (but look magnificent while doing so). Ideal for wandering, even better for unplanned splurges.
Address: Camden Passage, Islington, N1 8EA
Opening times:
- Wednesday: 9 am–6 pm
- Saturday: from 8 am (varies by stall)
6. Jubilee Antiques Market, Covent Garden – The Regal Rummage
Every Monday, Covent Garden’s Grade II-listed Jubilee Hall fills with antiques dealers who turn up long before you’ve had your first espresso. There’s a lovely mix here—affordable collectables rub shoulders with opulent Edwardian nonsense. You’ll need cash, courage, and possibly a wheeled suitcase.
Address: Jubilee Hall, Covent Garden, WC2E 8BD
Opening times: Monday: 5 am–5 pm
7. Grays Antique Market – Bond Street’s Glittering Time Capsule
A hidden gem just a minute from Oxford Street, Grays is where serious collectors and curious browsers collide under vaulted ceilings. It feels like stumbling into an Edwardian jewellery box—gilded, intricate, and full of whispers. Specialising in fine antiques, rare watches, vintage couture, and decorative arts, it’s less car boot and more museum you’re allowed to buy from. Ideal for lovers of detail, sparkle, and the scent of polished wood.
Address: 58 Davies Street, Mayfair, W1K 5LP
Opening times: Monday–Friday: 10 am–5:30 pm
8. Greenwich Market (Antique Days) – By the Ships, For the Seekers
On antique days, Greenwich Market becomes a sea-chest of maritime oddities, vintage jewellery and peculiar ephemera. The setting alone is worth the trip: cobbles, covered arches, and the ghost of Admiral Nelson somewhere in the breeze. Check your compass and head southeast.
Address: Greenwich Market, SE10 9HZ
Opening times:
- Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 10 am–5:30 pm
9. Hackney Flea Market – Hipster Goldrush
Held semi-regularly at Abney Hall, this is less “antique” and more “vintage/collectable/why do I suddenly need a rotary phone?” It’s wonderfully curated chaos, with everything from Soviet kitchenware to brutalist ceramics. Prices vary wildly. So does the crowd. Glorious.
Address: Abney Hall, 73a Stoke Newington Church Street, N16 0AS
Opening times: Roughly monthly on weekends, 11 am–5 pm (check listings at hackneyfleamarket.com)
10. Battersea Car Boot Sale – Sunday’s Rogue Charm
This one’s for those who like their antique-hunting with a side of EastEnders-style bartering. Hosted in a school playground, it’s a mix of professionals, hoarders and accidental sellers clearing out dead aunt Mildred’s attic. Sometimes you leave with a Victorian chamberstick; sometimes with a DVD of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.
Address: Harris Academy, 401 Battersea Park Road, SW11 5AP
Opening times:
- Sunday:
- Early entry (£3): 12:30 pm
- General entry (£1): 1:30 pm–5 pm
Final Words for the Foragers
Whether you’re a maximalist magpie or a minimalist with weakness for mid-century credenzas, London’s antique markets offer not just goods but glimpses into forgotten lives and fumbled dreams. Go forth, haggle gently, and remember: it’s not hoarding if it’s vintage.