Maria's Market Cafe, one of Borough Market's oldest and most cherished establishments, is set to close after the market's management refused to renew its lease. Owner Mark Aldridge has vowed to fight the decision, calling the cafe "the nucleus and a jewel of the market."
Cafe's 65-year history under threat
Maria's opened in 1961 and has been a fixture of the market's social fabric ever since. Aldridge took over the business from Mariarenza Moruzzi, whose family originally opened the cafe. He has owned it for five years. The lease renewal process began four months ago, but Aldridge says the market abruptly informed him that the lease would not be renewed, despite his expectation that it was a formality. "We were incredibly shocked," he said. "Many of our staff have been working there for more than 15 years."
Dispute and legal battle
Aldridge confirmed that the cafe is now in dispute with Borough Market. "We are not going down without a fight," he stated. He emphasized the cafe's historical and cultural importance, noting that it is one of only three original market traders remaining. "We are just trying to protect and preserve the market's historical value for local people," he added. The situation has left the cafe in limbo, with no clarity on whether it can continue operating.
Market's response
Borough Market declined to comment on the specifics of the case, citing confidentiality. A spokesperson said: "As a responsible landlord, we follow all legal requirements when dealing with our tenants on issues relating to their occupation at the Market. As you’d expect, we treat the details of anything business-related with any of our traders as confidential and do not feel it is appropriate to comment further at this stage while discussions are still ongoing."
Protected leases at Borough Market
According to MyLondon, a number of Borough Market traders enjoy protected leases, which provide security of tenure. However, no new protected leases have been issued for at least a decade. This leaves traders like Maria's in a vulnerable position when leases come up for renewal.
Impact on the community
The potential closure has sparked concern among regular customers and market enthusiasts. Aldridge hopes that public support can persuade the market to reconsider. "We need significant support to protect us from this," he said.
