The Last Of The Billingsgate Fish Porters

On April 28th 2012 a centuries-old way of life and work officially came to an end. This is the story of the last of the Billingsgate Fish Market porters in London's Canary Wharf, a story about a dying trade and the disappearance of longstanding heritage and identity.

Despite a tradition dating back centuries, they have now been stripped of their licenses by the City Corporation of London and will soon be replaced by a cheaper workforce.

Billingsgate Market began trading exclusively in fish in 1699. It comprised of two main groups: the merchants who sold the fish and the porters, who with their small numbered enamel badges, traditionally worn on their aprons, had sole licence to transport fish within the market.

The portering system is based on the merchant paying the porter a fixed retainer and the fishmonger or customer paying a bobbin (today, 18 pence) per stone of fish delivered.

A porter’s work is one of hard manual graft, carrying heavy boxes of fresh fish and working unsociable hours. Yet these men are proud of their enduring role and tradition. The job of porter has often been passed down through family generations, resulting in a very tight-knit community, complete with its own humorous banter and camaraderie. The porters have long been seen as the heart and soul of Billingsgate.

In January 2012, the City of London Corporation – effectively an independent governing institution - withdrew all trading licences from the porters, revoking a bylaw dating back to 1876. Without this protection, the porters could legally be replaced by cheap casual labour.

The LFMA (London Fish Merchants Association) has been trying to change the porters’ working conditions from a collective agreement (which gives them collective protection) to an individual contract and has found a powerful aid in the City of London Corporation, who is currently making the funds (£2.5 million) available to the merchants to buy out the porters.

The question is, what is the motivation to so determinedly get rid of 102 working men?

The Corporation insists this move is purely one of necessary modernization for the market. Others have less optimistic views. Former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone claims the move is “yet another example of the downgrading of working-class working conditions.” London Assembly member and Labour party politician John Biggs believes that the Corporation’s withdrawal is a move towards “casualisation” of the City’s workforce. Jim Fitzpatrick and Jon Cruddas, two Labour MPs, express their fear that “the market – and specifically the porters – stands in the way of its expansion plans around Canary Wharf.”

The last point appears key. This area of London, its financial hub and primarily the venue for the city’s 2012 Olympics, is undergoing massive redevelopment, particularly in regard to transport links - for example, the new Stratford International and Cross Rail stations.

As such, real estate values around Billingsgate are at a premium. The porters themselves believe that the fish market will be relocated; and that getting rid of them and their organized, historically protected workforce, was the first step to make this possible.

My interest in the Billingsgate porters’ story stems from a fascination with the disappearance of manual labour; work generally considered menial by our society, yet carried out with a great deal of pride and passion by those small communities involved. These groups have often functioned as their own micro-cultures; by eradicating them, longstanding heritage and identity disappears. London, 2011-12

This body of work has been exhibited as a solo show at Maz, a Swiss gallery. Some of the porter portraits have won several awards over the years.

Billingsgate fish market is located in London’s East End, just next to the financial hub Canary Wharf and the newly redeveloped area for the 2012 Olympic Games. London, 2012.

Gary Simmons, fish porter for 33 years.

Photos of past and present porters reflected in the window looking out onto Canary Wharf, London’s financial hub, in the distance, 2011 London.

Back and fro from the cool stores to the stalls to the vans and back again. Overview onto the car park. Billingsgate Market, London 2012.

A porter pulls a trolley of fish toward the market. Billingsgate, London 2011

Steve Sheet, fish porter for 15 years.

Gary Durden, fish porter for 31 years. His career in the market began much earlier. When he was a boy he used to help his dad, also a fish porter, at the old market. He is distraught by the aggressiveness of this campaign against the porters and has worked untiringly to raise awareness for their cause. London 2012

Brett Singers, shop boy for 3 years.

Brett has been working at Billingsgate fish market for 3 years as a shop boy. Originally wanted to become a porter like his grandfather Edwin Singers. Billingsgate Fish Market, London 2011.

Micky Durrell fish porter for 45 years.

Porters are said to be the heart and soul of the market. That particularly applies to Micky. His voice and the following laughter can be heard all over the market. He loves to tell funny stories of past adventures like when the porters used to stage fake fistfights in the café for amused spectators. London 2011.

Jack Preston, fish porter for 2 years.

Jack Preston was the last porter ever to be licensed. He worked for 2 years before porters were officially made redundant on the 28th of April 2012. Billingsgate, London, 2012.

Market scene at Billingsgate. London 2012.

After 45 years Micky still loves his job. London 2012

Market scene at Billingsgate. London 2012.

Colin Walker, fish porter for 46 years.

He started working at the old market in 1966. One of his proudest moments in life was the day, when he got his porter license. He was 18 years old. London 2012.

Martin Bicker, fish porter for 24 years.

His father was a fish porter too. He explains the reasons behind the licence in the first place. One only received a porter licence after a successful apprenticeship and after one has proven to be trustworthy to handle fish worth a lot of money. London 2011.

Bobby Jones, fish porter for 30 years.

He feels that it is a pleasure to work with people and loves the fact that there is always something to surprise him at the market. He is very disappointed and angry about the way the decision over their licenses has been taken and handled and he resents being pushed back into an antiquated class system. London 2012.

Nick Wilson, fish porter for 12 years.

As father of two small children he is worried about the future. Billingsgate, London 2011.

John Schofield, fish porter for 30 years.

He feels very strongly that the porters have a longstanding tradition here in London. He cannot understand why the City Corporation of London and the London Fish Merchants Association not only wanted to strip porters off their license, which effectively meant that they would loose their jobs, but also wanted in general to deny them any other work within the market. London 2012.

Martin re-starts the cart loaded with a delivery for a customer waiting in his van in the nearby parking.

Jeff Willis, fish porter for 25 years.

He can’t imagine working anywhere else. The market is all he has ever known. London 2012.

Micky Durrell and Brian Holmes are having a laugh.

Three generations of Singers men working at the market.

Steve Jones, fish porter for 30 years.

It saddened Steve that the fish merchants and the porters did not succeed in working together to save the market, but instead fought against each other. Billingsgate, London 2011.

Bradley Holmes, fish porter for 20 years.

He started working at the market straight after leaving school at 16. Now he has a family with four young children and wonders how they will manage. London 2011.

Steven Black, fish porter for 20 years.

London 2011.

Chris Gill, fish porter for 33 years.

He has worked 18 years for Roger Barton. On numerous occasions within the last year he tried to talk to Roger about his future – in vain. On April 28th 2012 Roger Barton dismissed his three porters and employed three men who he pays the absolute minimum. He calls himself proudly “The Bastard Of Billingsgate”. London 2011.

Steven Davies is a fishmonger.

The business has been in his family for 5 generations. His son is running it now, but he still comes to the market at 5 in the morning. Instead of buying fish he now drinks tea with his friends, some are porters, whom he has known since his youth. He regrets the changes. London, 2012.

Tired porters eat breakfast together before heading home. London 2012.

“The best part of today is now.”

Brett and Billy have a cigarette. Billingsgate London 2011

Michael Nash is a merchant, or “governor”.

He works for James Nash & Sons. London 2012.

Quiet chat near the bins.

Colin finishes his accounts before he heads home for the day. London 2011.

The walls of the café within Billingsgate Market is hung row after row with photographs of past porters. London 2012

This porter is looking for a grey seal, the market pet called Sammy.

Empty market hall in the day time.

First day off work.

These porters have come as usual still hoping there would be some work for them. Some have been offered new contracts offering less money and worse conditions, most of them on a temporary basis. A few have accepted these contracts worn down by the constant uncertainty and the bleakness of their future. Billingsgate London 2012.

Farewell.

George Driscoll and Pikey Bill say their farewells outside an east end Pub. London 2012.

Next to the market is the building site of the new DLR station. Billingsgate fish market is located in London’s east end, just next to the financial hub Canary Wharf and the newly redeveloped area for the 2012 Olympic Games. London, 2012.

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