The City Corporation has announced plans for redevelopment of The Annex buildings in West Smithfield, originally part of the Victorian-era market. As I wrote earlier, at one point the buildings were to be incorporated in the new London Museum which is due to open later this year. In the photo The Annex is on the left, the Museum site on the right.
The Annex plans now are for a food hall, boutique hotel, retail developments and a pocket park “offering green space for community events, digital art, and live performances throughout the day and evenings”. News release below.
About West Smithfield, the Museum and the Market
Here’s my report of a visit to the Museum redevelopment and more on the Museum website about the different spaces that will be created.
Nearby the Smithfield Meat Market is still in operation, although due to close in 2028. Last year the Corporation announced development of 30-year masterplan for the area, including redevelopment of market buildings as an international cultural and commercial hub.
The 2025 announcement included a promise of “new imagery showcasing early concepts of how the Smithfield market site could be transformed” … but we haven’t seen anything yet. Here’s the concept designs produced in 2020 by Studio Egret West, and a guide to the buildings of Smithfield Market at that time in A London Inheritance.
Although the London Museum is currently closed, its website offers lots of treats, including an artificial intelligence-powered conversational search agent. This will find articles and connections between stories and museum collections.
Articles include The History of Smithfield Market, the Iron legacy of architect Sir Horace Jones, the Smithfield Poultry Market fire of 1958, the Religious history of Smithfield, andSmithfield and the Underground railways.
City of London news release on The Annex Buildings
April 20 2026 – web link
The City of London Corporation has announced a landmark partnership with creative developer General Projects Limited and Sir Lloyd Dorfman’s Esselco Group Limited, to redevelop ‘The Annexe buildings’ in West Smithfield.
Located near Farringdon and the new London Museum and subject to planning approval, the development of this set of Victorian-era market, storage, and engine structures (circa 1886–1899) marks a major step forward in the regeneration of one of London’s most dynamic cultural and commercial districts.
Designed by the internationally-renowned Heatherwick Studio, the revitalisation of The Annexe buildings will unfold in two phases, celebrating the heritage of the buildings and the wider area and transforming the site’s historic but underused structures:
Phase One (to launch early 2028): An exciting new food market which will support independent vendors, outdoor installations, and inclusive programming. It is envisioned this will complement activities at the neighbouring London Museum and enrich the visitor experience of the area.
Phase Two (completion by 2030): Delivery of a new boutique lifestyle hotel, new ground-floor retail and F&B, and a landscaped pocket park at its heart – replacing a disused service area and offering green space for community events, digital art, and live performances throughout the day and evenings.
Located on the south-west side of Smithfield Market, the project will support the City’s cultural and visitor economy, creating new public spaces, employment opportunities and accessible community facilities for residents, workers, students and visitors.
The new food market is inspired by the historic writings of Smithfield as a ‘kitchen of the universe’, featuring a curated mix of established and start-up chefs, that represent the best of independent London and showcase the diversity of cuisine, culture and history across the City.
As part of the City Corporation’s Destination City Growth strategy to keep the Square Mile open, active and alive beyond the working week, this ambitious regeneration is a key ingredient in the broader change the wider area is already experiencing. The change starts with London Museum, which will open the doors to its permanent galleries in the General Market towards the end of this year. Its temporary exhibition space, learning centre and interactive collections store will follow in 2028.
In parallel, the Barbican Centre is undergoing a refurbishment programme ahead of even more ambitious plans to modernise its spaces and across the road is the Smithfield meat market. These vast spaces are set to host a plethora of commercial and cultural uses which the Square Mile will increasingly need towards the end of the decade.
Through further public realm improvements, the Annexe buildings will also help solidify the wider area as a destination in its own right, contributing to a greener, more welcoming, and vibrant City.
Chris Hayward, Policy Chairman at the City of London Corporation, said:
“Smithfield has always been London’s kitchen, a place of trade, energy and life for over a thousand years. The Annexe redevelopment honours that history while giving this remarkable corner of the Square Mile a bold new future.
“Alongside the new London Museum and the Barbican, it will help make Smithfield somewhere Londoners and visitors come back to again and again not for one particular reason, but because there is always something extraordinary to discover. This is Destination City in action.”
Sharon Ament, Director of the London Museum, said:
“Smithfield is a vibrant, bustling neighbourhood with a rich history, that has been a profound meeting place for generations. It’s a fantastic location for our museum and we’re looking forward to working with our neighbours in the Annexe as part of this next chapter.
“From Smithfield, people can flow through the museum and pop into one of our free galleries, enjoy some world class food, catch a show at the Barbican, visit the glorious St Paul’s, or take in some of the most historic areas of the city. It’s going to be a brilliant place to visit, meet friends, or start your first adventure in the city.”
Jacob Loftus, CEO of General Projects, said:
“We are honoured to have been selected as the new custodians of these iconic buildings. Working in partnership with the Corporation, London Museum and other key stakeholders, we look forward to delivering an exciting new future for these unique properties that will celebrate and embrace their history, whilst forging a new sustainable and creative new complex to deliver the next piece of London’s most exciting new Cultural neighbourhood.”
Sir Lloyd Dorfman CVO CBE, said:
“As an ardent advocate for London, the City and the new cultural mile, I am excited to partner with General Projects in this rare and exciting opportunity to create an iconic destination for Smithfield and indeed London. I look forward to working in close collaboration with the City of London Corporation and give effect to its strategic vision for the area.”