Discuss the area with Pengeites of a certain age and they will invariably go misty eyed over the market that once resided in Maple Road. It was a thriving street of traders offering fruit and veg, fish, meat, cards, haberdashery and more, and arguably the beating heart of Penge. It died in the 1990s, the victim of the growing success of supermarkets, despite a very brief resurrection in 2010.
Thankfully, due to the hard work of a few locals and funding by Penge SE20 BID, the market is making occasional returns these days. One was held late last year and there is another this May Day weekend. It will feature lots of stalls offering craft items, street food, craft beer and plenty more.
There are further events planned for 2022:
4th June 2022 (special Jubilee Market)
25th June 2022
30th July 2022
27th August-2022
25th September 2022
29th October 2022
26th November 2022 (Christmas Market)
If you are interested in having a stall at one of these events then contact the organisers on https://www.mapleroadse20.co.uk/becoming-a-trader
If you are interested in becoming a Market Event Volunteer at Maple Road May Day Market. Please contact the organisers on https://www.mapleroadse20.co.uk/become-a-market-volunteer or email: mapleroadvolunteers@gmail.com
You can find out more about the history of the market on Maple Road on the excellent Penge Heritage Trail site here.
'(Fairly) Regular markets return to Maple Road' have 1 comment
25th April 2022 @ 4:04 pm Gerry Mulhall
Hi
I mentioned to the local councillor (at the time the Farmer’s Market was introduced) that surely it would be sensible to allow stallholders free slots for a period in order to encourage a diverse take up, thus maximising the number of stalls and encouraging a weekly influx of trade to the town as a whole.
I did mention that ‘swanky’ type markets would not be successful in Penge and this prooved to be the case.
A vibrant, traditional market is what we need to set Penge apart from other neighbouring towns.
Gerry