Venn Street Market: Clapham's Saturday food market
Bread, fish, cheese and street food under the tents every Saturday, with a cinema and a live music bar on the same street. How to do Venn Street properly.
By Clapham London Editorial
Venn Street Market is Clapham's Saturday food market, held on Venn Street just off the top of Clapham High Street, and its own website gives the hours as 10am to 3pm. Come hungry, come before noon, and plan to stay on the street afterwards: the cinema and the bars at the other end make a whole day of it.
When it is on
The market runs on Saturdays. Lambeth Council lists it among the markets run on behalf of the council, simply as "Venn Street (Saturdays)", and points traders to the market's own site. That site gives the hours as 10am to 3pm. Some older listings say 4pm, so treat the early afternoon as last orders and do not leave lunch too late.
Entry is free. The street is pedestrianised, so the stalls set up under their tents down the middle and the cafes and bars spill out on either side.
What you will find
This is a food market first. Line-ups change with the seasons and the traders rotate, so think of it as a weekly surprise rather than a fixed list. When The Nudge visited, the stalls included seasonal vegetables from organic farms and independent growers, fish from the Dorset coast, small-batch bread, and French cheese and cured meats, with street food vans, flowers and handmade things alongside. That mix of a proper weekly shop and a good lunch is what keeps locals coming back.
How to shop it
- Go early. The best bread and fish go first, and by lunchtime the hot food has a queue.
- Do a lap first. It is a short street, so walk the whole thing before you buy.
- Bring a bag. A sturdy tote saves a juggling act with loaves and fish on the way home.
- Talk to the traders. Ask what is good this week. They will tell you.
Why it is called Venn Street
The street is named after the Revd John Venn, Rector of Clapham from 1792 until his death in 1813. According to the Clapham Society, he was active in the Clapham Sect and the campaign to abolish the slave trade, and in 1799 he founded a society to improve conditions for the poor. A plaque on the street remembers him and his family, which includes his grandson, the Cambridge philosopher John Venn, of the Venn diagram. Look for it while you queue for coffee.
Make a day of Venn Street
A film at Clapham Picturehouse
Clapham Picturehouse is on Venn Street, with four screens and a bar serving coffee, cake, local beers and sourdough pizza. After the market, take your shopping into an afternoon screening. Child tickets are £4.99, and Monday tickets are cheaper if you are back midweek.
Live music at Venn Street Records
Venn Street Records at 78 Venn Street is a two-floor, vinyl-themed bar with live music and DJs. On Saturdays it opens at 4.30pm and runs until 2am, which means it is open just as the market is packing up. It has a heated garden, and the bar recommends booking, though walk-ins are welcome.
Finish the shop on the Pavement
If the market has not covered everything, walk across the corner of the Common to the Pavement in the Old Town. M. Moen & Sons at 24 The Pavement is the butcher and deli, open until 5pm on Saturdays and closed on Sundays, and Clapham Books at number 26 is open until 6pm on Saturdays.
Getting there
Venn Street runs off Clapham High Street right by Clapham Common station on the Northern line, under the clock tower that was unveiled in 1906. From the Junction it is a quick bus ride, and from Clapham North or Clapham High Street stations it is a walk down the High Street. The Common is across the road if you want to take your lunch to the grass.
A Saturday on Venn Street, start to finish
- 10am: coffee and a first lap of the market while it is calm.
- 11am: bread, cheese, veg and fish for the week.
- Noon: lunch from a street food stall, eaten on the Common if the sun is out.
- Afternoon: a film at the Picturehouse.
- Evening: live music and cocktails at Venn Street Records from 4.30pm.
When it is quiet, and when it is not
Saturday late morning is the peak, especially on a sunny day when the Common is full. Wet Saturdays are quieter and the traders are glad of you, so do not let the forecast put you off. And if you miss it, there is always Northcote Road over in SW11, where the street market is open most days and busiest on Fridays and Saturdays.
