Inspired by our attendance at the Queen Vic Winter Night Market we thought that we would dedicate this blog to a brief history lesson on the Queen Victoria Market.
The market officially opened on the 20th of March 1878 however its origins can be linked back to the 1840's where fruit and vegetable markets were set up in the western suburbs. After the partial closure of the Old Melbourne cemetery (also known as Burial hill) in the 1850s, and governement closure acts in 1876, the market gained the prospect to expand but this did not come without -understandable- uproar from the early Melbourne community.
In 1920 the expansion to Peel Street began, this move was also protested by many due to the fact that the market growth involved moving more burial sites to the now Fawkner cemetery. People wanted the burial sites to stay untouched and in a central location however there was no avail despite the uproar.
Despite its past, in the 1970’s the QVM began to take its final shape by being redesigned into a retail space alongside a fresh foods and wholesale market, this allowed retailers like us to slip into this piece of history.
The market has faced numerous threats of demolition whether it be for a car park in 1964 or a hotel complex in the 70s, however these all fell flat at the time as the market was listed on the historic buildings register and classified by the national trust.
In recent years the market has been accepted into the Victorian Heritage register (1989) and the National Heritage list (2018).
We cannot wait to see where the market goes in the future and are excited to go along with the ride.
