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<\/a><\/p>\nA fellmonger was a dealer in hides or skins, particularly sheepskins, who might also prepare skins for tanning. The name is derived from the Old English \u2018fell\u2019 meaning skins, and \u2018monger\u2019 meaning dealer. Fellmongery is generally considered to be one of the oldest professions in the world as since ancient times, humans have used the skins of animals to clothe themselves and to make domestic articles.<\/p>\n
The alley isn’t quite as ancient as that, but it is still pretty old, sitting within Croydon Old Town in an area that’s had a market since at least 1273, when a Royal Charter was granted to the market. Victorian and post-war rebuilding flattened much of the medieval street layout, but this patch of Old Croydon managed to survive and still shows its old layout of a market trading street and lots of alleys along it.<\/p>\n
It’s been difficult to know when Fellmongers Yard first appeared, but it seems to date to the 17th century at the very least and likely earlier. Thanks to its name, it’s not difficult to determine what the local trades were being carried out here.<\/p>\n
Archaeologists, during some building works in 2013<\/a>, found evidence of what might have been liming pits associated with the tanning industry that would have been around here. They also found later-built cess pits and a lavatory block.<\/p>\n So it was quite a wholesome area.<\/p>\n Today, the alley still shows its old, slightly curved path, although the buildings around it are very much modern in style.<\/p>\n On one side is a modern retail and office block, which also sits over the alley, as the old buildings it replaced also used to. Further down the alley, it’s a mix of storage space for the market traders and also a relatively recent block of flats built about 8 years ago.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n