 By 1654 a small open @-@ air fruit @-@ and @-@ vegetable market had developed on the south side of the fashionable square . Gradually , both the market and the surrounding area fell into disrepute , as taverns , theatres , coffee @-@ houses and brothels opened up . By the 18th century it had become a well @-@ known red @-@ light district . An Act of Parliament was drawn up to control the area , and Charles Fowler 's neo @-@ classical building was erected in 1830 to cover and help organise the market . The market grew and further buildings were added : the Floral Hall , Charter Market , and in 1904 the Jubilee Market . By the end of the 1960s traffic congestion was causing problems , and in 1974 the market relocated to the New Covent Garden Market about three miles ( 5 km ) south @-@ west at Nine Elms . The central building re @-@ opened as a shopping centre in 1980 , and is now a tourist location containing cafes , pubs , small shops , and a craft market called the Apple Market , along with another market held in the Jubilee Hall . 
