Discover the City’s smallest serving window, a miniature wool boutique and a mouse-sized video shop at the new Wunderkammer, open from September to December
A curious new address will appear on one of Leadenhall Market’s cobbled alleyways when the Wunderkammer opens at No. 27¼ on Thursday 3 September. Open from Thursday to Saturday until December, the installation centres on an Italian-inspired serving window, launching with limited-edition miniature postcards before Market tenants and visiting brands take over on rotation with cakes, coffee, wine and exclusive products. A tiny wool boutique and mouse-sized video shop complete the trio, revealing different chapters of the Market’s history and character.
Taking its cue from 19th-century curiosity cabinets, miniature theatres and Leadenhall Market’s ornate Victorian architecture, the installation is designed to intrigue and delight, with three unexpected worlds for visitors to uncover throughout the autumn and festive season.
The serving window takes inspiration from Florence’s historic buchette del vino, where residents once bought wine directly from palace cellars. Next door, visitors can peer into the Lilliputian sized video rental shop which celebrates Leadenhall Market’s on-screen credentials. Best known for standing in for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the Market has more recently appeared in the Netflix spy thriller Black Doves and Apple TV+’s Slow Horses, amongst many others. Those exploring the display can search its shelves for references to scenes filmed among Leadenhall’s distinctive shopfronts and architectural details.
The wool boutique reaches further back into the Market’s trading history. By 1463, the Market was where wool tronage was determined, a tax traders paid to have their goods officially weighed using a specially installed beam (or trona). The display brings this medieval connection to life on a suitably small scale.
Ollie Goode, asset manager for Leadenhall Market said: “Leadenhall’s architecture is grand, but many of its charms are found in the details: from the original butchers’ meat hooks above our restaurants, bars and shops, to the City’s dragons keeping a watchful eye over visitors. The Wunderkammer plays with that contrast, and draws on centuries of trading history, bringing moments of curiosity and wonder on an unexpected scale to offer visitors, diners and shoppers a new way to experience our unique space.”
The Leadenhall Wunderkammer opens to the public on Thursday 3 September 2-6pm, continuing at the same timeslot Thursday to Saturday until 22 December. Entry to view the tiny video rental and wool shops is free, with products available to purchase through the miniature serving window. Check Leadenhall Market Instagram and Facebook pages and website for details of opening programme.
Leadenhall Market is owned and managed by The City of London Corporation.