Portobello Road Market - Personal Film - C1954

Find bric-a-brac and trinkets galore in this vividly colourful snapshot of Portobello Road Market.

Portobello's eccentric characters, its antique wares, clothing and odd assortments of bric-a-brac are all on display in this vivid amateur film. It was made by visiting Canadian Eileen D. Smith, who shot several home movies of her holidays in Britain in the 50s: compare this one with the equally colourful Petticoat Lane (1959) and Veteran Car Rally, Brighton (1962), also available on BFI Player.

Like many other famous London markets, Portobello Road had sold food and other essential items before the 1940s, when rag-and-bone men started to sell their finds. Today the market is rather more upscale.