The market site has a long-established and layered history dating back to 1682 with the market’s first emergence as a location of trade in fresh produce. In 1991, the fruit and vegetable market was relocated to Leyton. For many years, the redevelopment process was contested by local residential and heritage groups in terms of the role of existing activities and livelihoods, and proposed interventions for the site. A substantial redevelopment of the market led by the Spitalfields Development Group was completed in 2005, incorporating new offices, new forms of retail and designated public spaces.
At the centre of Brick Lane is The Old Truman Brewery, a large mixed-use development that includes office space, retail, street food and a weekly market. Once the largest brewery in London, it closed in 1989. Since then the site has seen various phases of investment and redevelopment. In 1995, the site was sold for £4 million to an established East End Iraqi Jewish family, the Zeloofs. The new owners refurbished the 11-acre site, transforming it into an arts hub with galleries and exhibition spaces, recording and design studios, and offices to rent. In 2010, the Truman brand was purchased by two businessmen beer enthusiasts, James Morgan and Michael-George Hemus. This period saw the continued development of the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane and the opening of Truman's Beer brewery in Hackney Wick in the summer of 2013.
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