A new market for Maple Road, Penge

[Cllr John Getgood]

Not just a date for your diary – a genuine local issue. Can a Farmers’ market sustain itself in Penge? Saturday June 6th is the important date.

Thanks to the determination of local traders, a market is returning to Maple Rd. Bromley Council has licensed a Farmers’ market to operate initially for 6 months on Saturday mornings. There will be a mixture of fresh produce and crafts.

The market will launch at 10 am with a traditional ceremony. The Deputy Mayor of Bromley will cut the ribbon while wearing the impressive council chain from the old Penge Urban District Council. This is believed to be the first time the old chain has been used in an official ceremony since Penge was swallowed into the new Bromley borough in 1965. And there will be a Penge Town Crier for the ceremony.

Maple Road Market was established in 1921 when the country was recovering from World War I. It went from strength to strength over the years, with several generations of families providing Penge with cheap, quality goods. The nw market will hopefully be well placed to meet today’s needs.

So many people have been asking when a market is going to return to Maple Rd, it's hard to believe it's actually going to happen. Despite the ups and downs of Maple Road Market, people are looking forward to enjoying the market experience once again. As well as filling a local need, the market should attract new shoppers to Penge and help revitalise Maple Rd as well as Penge High Street. It can only be good for the area.

Cllr John Getgood
Penge & Cator
www.pengeandcatorcouncillors.co.uk

[Cllr John Getgood]

I found this on the organiser's web site. (City & Country Farmers' Markets):

maple road

Maple Road,
off Penge High Street,
Penge,
SE20 8JB

Every Saturday from 6th June 2009
10am to 3pm

Penge is a very up and coming area which has
recently undergone an extensive regeneration,
encouraging more affluent, professional people
to live in the area. Erica, the owner of the Blue
Belle Cafe on Maple Road, approached us with
the idea of starting a Farmers' Market here and
after visiting the area we thought it would be a
great idea. At present there is nowhere in Penge
to find fresh, local produce, plus a Farmers'
Market will provide a much needed meeting
point for the community.

Cllr John Getgood
Penge & Cator

[girl_canuck]

I think this is FANTASTIC and badly needed. I'll be there tomorrow at 10am for the ceremony!

[marianne]

I'll be there too - hope it proves to be really popular.

Is the car park at the back of Iceland still really creepy and badly lit? I wouldn't mind doing most of my shopping along the main road if I could park somewhere - I hope to have too many bags to take home on the bus .....

[ALIB]

i know this isn't in Sydenham, but Cllr Getgood started the thread, so blame him.

I saw an excellent market this morning, complimented by shopkeepers in Maple Road. This really is a welcome addition, and I hope it continues. We did have a farmers market outside Forest Hill Pools a few years ago, but it never really took off.
Stallholders today included, Tapas, rugs, fishmonger, burger bar (the aroma was gorgeous), sausage/butchers, cake stall, fresh veg....and others which are in the photos below.

Well done everyone.

[Cllr John Getgood]

Sorry for the intrusion into Sydenham but then parts of SE26 are in my ward so there's a convergence of interest.

I hope marianne found the car park better than when she last vsitied. It's been painted white and been made more accessible. Until recently it had a full time attendant but not enough people were using it to make it worthwhile. Hopefully the market will attract new users. The car park is very convenient for the High Street and the lifts work! I am asking them to change the entrance from off Croydon Rd to off Maple Rd.

The market lived up to expectations but we have to use it to keep it. Hopefully next week will be just as successful. Photos are great, thank you for posting them. They show just part of the excellent range of produce (not sure whether the panama hat man expected to do much buisiness) but I could have done without the photo of the bloke in the red tunic!

Cllr John Getgood
Penge & Cator

[girl_canuck]

I was REALLY impressed with this market - some really great stalls!!! It made me feel really warm and fuzzy about the fight against mammoth supermarkets and dying high streets. I really hope it continues!

[girl_canuck]

I just had to post about the ribs we bought from the Penge market last weekend. They were marinated pork ribs from the Giggly Pig pork farmers stall that is there every Saturday. I think I can honestly say they were some of the best ribs I've ever eaten. The meat was really high quality, and the marinade... mmmm!!!! We bbq'd them really slowly for 2 hours. Go everyone! Buy them! They're amazing!!!

While I'm at it - the fish stall there is very very good. We've had mackerel, sea bass, and dover sole from them - and they've all been very good and very fresh. The chicken stall is also excellent, but I don't think they're there every week.

Long live Penge Market!!!!

[Thomas]

I went yesterday - there are some really good stalls - well worth checking out. It was a little bit quiet, and could do with having some more stalls, but we are in the middle of the holiday season, and the market has only just started, so let's hope this does well.

[sean]

Does anyone know when the next Maple Road Market will be operating? Thanks in advance.

[poulet]

Its every Saturday 10-15:00 I think

Worth a visit, I got a well priced sea bass there this week from fishmonger, there was also a good veg selection and a couple of bread stores