The Name

A settlement has existed in the Covent Garden area since Roman times - the first century AD, when London was known as Londinium. The area around Covent Garden and the Strand was, in the 7th century, a busy Saxon trading port called Lundenwic.

Covent Garden's name has its origins in the mists of time - dating back to the reign of King John in the 13th century. It was a 40 acre site and formed the large kitchen garden for the Convent or Abbey of St Peter at Westminster. For the benefit of modern day visitors, the land lay between St Martin's Lane in the west, Drury Lane in the east, Floral Street to the north and Maiden Lane to the south.

The monks' 'convent garden' became a major source of fruit and vegetables in London and, for the next 700 years, Covent Garden became inexorably linked with fresh 'fruit and veg'.

The Pineapple

When you are in Covent Garden Market - look up. On top of each light you will see a pineapple. It is an integral part of the building's fabric - and a key link to the Market's incredible history.

The first Europeans to enjoy pineapples were Christopher Columbus' crew landing on the Caribbean island of Guadaloupe in late 1493. Throughout the Royal Houses of Europe, the pineapple became the ultimate exotic food item - a celebrity fruit of its day - and were even rented to wealthy households for use in table displays! However, despite the fascination, it was more than 100 years before the first pineapple was grown in Britain.

The man to do so was John Tradescant (1570-1638). A gardener employed by a succession of Earls and Dukes, Tradescant's skills were noticed by King Charles I who, in 1630, appointed him 'Keeper of His Majesty's Gardens, Vines and Silkworms'. He travelled widely overseas collecting botanical specimens to enhance his patrons' gardens.

At the same time, English architect Inigo Jones (1573-1652) was also working for Charles I as 'Surveyor of the King's Works'. The first surveyor to be universally recognised as an architect of outstanding skill, Jones' influence on the development of London is best witnessed at Covent Garden. In 1630, he built the piazza - London's first public square - and designed St Paul's church and the arcaded houses to the north and east of the market.

By 1650, with the first 'fruit and veg' markets being held regularly in Covent Garden's piazza, pineapples were being grown in the first heated greenhouses in England. The Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed many smaller and rival markets in the east of the city and - almost overnight - Covent Garden became the most important fruit, vegetable and flower market in the country. Exotic items from around the world now arrived by boat from the River Thames.

For the next 250 years, the pineapple became synonymous with wealth and generous hospitality - and was adopted as a motif by architects, artists and craftsmen. Sculptured pineapples were soon adorning the gateposts, rooftops, weather vanes and doorways of some of the grandest residences and public buildings in England. Their design was stencilled on to walls, woven in to tablecloths, carpets and tapestries. It was painted on to plates, engraved on to glass and metals and carved in to wood.

The main building you see today - built by Charles Fowler - dates from 1830. It formalised the market with Fowler's neo-classical style - transforming Covent Garden from an open piazza to an enclosed market. For more than 150 years, it remained London's largest fruit, vegetable and flower market - covering 30 acres. In the 1970s, under pressure of traffic congestion, the market relocated south of the river to Nine Elms. In 1980, after careful and considerate restoration, Covent Garden re-opened as London's first and best speciality shopping destination.

Today, almost 1 million people visit the famous Market every week - from all parts of the world - to wonder, marvel and soak up the unique atmosphere that is Covent Garden Market.