Covent Garden

a garden once belonging to the abbot of Westminster. The original spelling was Convent. The old garden was cultivated by monks. It was surrounded by a wall, and extended from the Strand to the open country. In 1552 the land, some seven acres, passed into the hands of the Bedford family as a gift from the king. This gift was accompanied by a permit to maintain a market, with which none should be allowed to compete. Market gardeners sold their vegetables here. In 1831 the Duke of Bedford erected vast market buildings, in which the housewife may do her shopping. He derives a revenue of $75,000,000 a year from rentals. London citizens complain of this monopoly and point to the fact that the city of Manchester derives a revenue of $70,000,000 from a similar market owned by the public. The Covent Garden Market is now one of the sights of London. It is the greatest fruit, flower, and vegetable market in the world. The utmost neatness is required. From eight to ten in the morning the show of fruit and the fragrance and brilliancy of the flowers convert the market into a paradise. The Garden gives its name to the locality, and to a number of buildings in the vicinity, including Covent Garden Theater, open only to money and full dress.