5 Historic Quirks to Spot... in Smithfield

Two historic houses, bits of embankment and a funny-looking post box.

Words and pictures by Matt Brown.

When people ask me “What’s your favourite bit of London?” I always say Smithfield. Few other parts of town are so layered with history. The unique streetscape overfloweth with character, thanks to an unlikely combo of meat markets, a medieval hospital, a buried river valley and a morass railway infrastructure. I was deli…