We checked 17 Lewisham shops, markets and Christmas fairs, from Kirkdale Bookshop to Deptford Market, for addresses and opening hours. Updated November 2026.

Lewisham borough has 17 places for Christmas shopping in 2026, 8 shops, a shopping centre, 6 markets and 2 fairs, and this guide lists them with addresses and opening hours. Most people will start at Dartmouth Road in Forest Hill for gifts, Kirkdale Bookshop for books, or Deptford Market for fabric and household goods. Every entry was checked on 5 November 2026.

We have not shopped at these for this guide, and nothing here is a review. The descriptions come from what each business says about itself, and we say so where a fact comes from somewhere else. The hours are the usual ones published. Almost none of these places had posted Christmas hours when we checked, so ring before a late trip in December.

For food and days out around the shopping, see Christmas dinner in Lewisham, Santa’s grottos, ice rinks near Lewisham, the Christmas lights switch-ons and our Christmas markets tracker, which will carry the council’s winter market dates once they are published.

Forest Hill and Sydenham

1. Bunka

Bunka calls itself an independent lifestyle store in South London, selling “design-led fashion, homewares and gifts for women, men, babies and kids”. Its online shop currently lists Jellycat Christmas toys and decorations, Roger La Borde Christmas cards and Alex Monroe jewellery.

Lewisham Council named it a winner of its Best Independent Business award in a Small Business Saturday article. There is a second shop in Beckenham.

We could not find opening hours on its site, so ring before a special trip.

Call 020 8291 4499
Address 4 Dartmouth Road, Forest Hill, SE23 3XU
Website bunka.co.uk
Good for homewares, fashion, children's gifts, jewellery, Christmas cards

2. Better Things

Better Things, a few doors along from Bunka, describes itself as “a carefully curated retail space” that celebrates independent makers. Its stock changes on a rotation of six to eight weeks, so what is on the shelves in December will not be what was there in the autumn.

It says the small brands it carries sell homeware, lifestyle and gifting goods, and it also runs workshops and pop-ups, listed on its site.

Open Mon to Sat 10am to 5pm; Sun 11am to 4pm
Address 8 Dartmouth Road, Forest Hill, SE23 3XU
Website betterthingslondon.com
Good for independent makers, homeware, gifts, workshops

3. Moon Lane Books

Moon Lane Books sits on the border of Catford and Forest Hill. It told Lewisham Council in 2020 that it is a children’s bookshop with a selection of adult fiction and non-fiction, that it opened in 2018 and that it is dedicated to equality of access and representation.

The Moon Lane group’s site still lists the Catford shop. The hours below come from its National Book Tokens listing, which also means book tokens can be spent there.

Open Mon to Wed 9am to 5pm; Thu 9am to 7pm; Fri and Sat 9am to 5pm; Sun 11.30am to 4pm
Address 300 Stanstead Road, SE23 1DE
Website moonlane.co.uk
Good for children's books, adult fiction, book tokens

4. Kirkdale Bookshop

Kirkdale Bookshop says it is probably the oldest independent bookshop in South East London, having opened in 1966. It sells new and second-hand books over two floors, with a children’s section at the back.

It also sells greetings cards, wrapping paper and what it calls an “ever changing selection of gifts”, including candles, bookmarks, mugs, soaps and hand creams. If a book is not in stock, it says it can get most titles by the next day.

Open Mon to Sat 9.30am to 5.30pm; Sun 12pm to 4pm
Call 020 8778 4701
Address 272 Kirkdale, SE26 4RS
Website kirkdalebookshop.com
Good for new and second-hand books, children's books, cards and wrapping paper, gifts

5. Kenrick’s Wines

Kenrick’s describes itself as an independent neighbourhood wine shop, with branches in Sydenham and Fulham. The Sydenham Society’s directory says it arranges wines by style rather than region and ranges from the everyday to the very special.

Wine can be taken away or drunk in the shop, and it runs tastings. The Sydenham hours on its contact page stop at Saturday, with no Sunday listed.

They also print a 12.30am Saturday start, which we take to be a slip for 12.30pm.

Open Mon to Wed 4pm to 9pm; Thu and Fri 2.30pm to 9pm; Sat 12.30pm to 9pm
Address 4 Station Approach, Sydenham Road, SE26 5EU
Website kenrickswines.com
Good for wine to take away, tastings

Brockley and New Cross

6. Jones of Brockley

Jones of Brockley calls itself a family-run food shop, and the Crofton Park branch is the one in this borough; the other is in East Dulwich. It stocks bread, cheese, vegetables, refrigerated and dry goods, wine and beer.

Its online shop has closed, so a Christmas order means going in or ringing.

Open Mon to Sat 9am to 8pm; Sun 9am to 6pm
Call 020 8691 3452
Address 354 Brockley Road, SE4 2BY
Website jonesofbrockley.com
Listing Our listing
Good for cheese, bread, wine and beer

7. The Word

The Word calls itself “a cosy, buzzing independent bookshop in New Cross”. It opened in 2016 beside Goldsmiths, with the university announcing that it would mainly stock books from its reading lists.

Goldsmiths now describes it as a favourite for fiction, art, politics and independent magazines. The shop sells signed books at normal publisher prices while stock lasts, orders in what it does not hold, and offers click and collect by phone.

It also mentions free local delivery for people who need it.

Open Mon to Fri 10am to 6pm; Sat 10am to 5pm; Sun 12pm to 5pm
Call 020 8355 9378
Address 314 New Cross Road, SE14 6AF
Website wordbookshop.co.uk
Good for fiction, art and politics, independent magazines, signed books

Deptford

8. Upside Down Records

Upside Down Records sells new and second-hand vinyl and CDs at the northern end of Deptford High Street. A local blog reported its opening in November 2023 and said the owner had managed Rat Records in Camberwell for 15 years.

Its own website blocked us when we tried to read it, so the hours below come from a record shop profile last reviewed in September 2026 that draws on its Google listing. That profile shows it closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

The 2023 blog gave different hours, so check before a weekday trip.

Open Wed and Fri 10.30am to 6pm; Thu 10.30am to 7.30pm; Sat 10.30am to 6.30pm; Sun 12pm to 5.30pm
Address 203 Deptford High Street, SE8 3NT
Website upsidedownrecords.co.uk
Good for vinyl, CDs, second-hand records

9. Deptford Market

The council says the market on Deptford High Street sells fresh fish, fruit and vegetables, multicultural food, haberdashery, clothing, shoes, fabric, curtains and household goods, and that trading in Deptford began in 1872. The High Street closes to traffic from 6am to 7pm on market days, so do not plan on parking close by.

A separate Deptford Christmas Market at Giffin Square is recruiting stallholders but had published no public dates when we checked.

Open Wed, Fri and Sat 9am to 5.30pm
Address Deptford High Street, SE8
Website lewisham.gov.uk/inmyarea/markets/street-markets
Good for fabric and haberdashery, clothing, fresh fish, household goods

Lewisham and Catford

10. Lewisham Shopping Centre

The shopping centre is where the big names are, and it is here because many people in the borough will end up buying something at it. It lists 44 shops, among them Argos, Boots, Clarks, Card Factory and Cards Direct for wrapping and cards.

It has traded since 1977. Those are the centre’s core hours, and it warns that individual shops may differ.

The table we read showed the usual pattern through November, with no Christmas hours yet. The plans to redevelop it are on hold.

Open Mon to Sat 7am to 8pm; Sun 10.30am to 5pm (core hours)
Call 020 8852 0094
Address Molesworth Street, SE13 7HB
Website lewishamshopping.co.uk
Good for high street chains, cards and wrapping, shoes

11. Lewisham Market

Lewisham Market began in 1906, according to the council, which also says it is one of a handful of six-day markets in London, though its page lists Sunday hours as well. It trades on Lewisham High Street in the town centre.

In 2024 the council ran a festive Marketmas here on a December weekend. No 2026 date had been published when we checked, and our Christmas markets page will carry it if one comes.

Open Mon to Sat 9am to 6pm; Sun 10am to 4pm
Address Lewisham High Street, SE13
Website lewisham.gov.uk/inmyarea/markets/street-markets
Good for everyday shopping in the town centre

12. Catford Market

The council says Catford Market sells toys, clothes, plants, fruit and vegetables, fish and multicultural foods. A street market began in Rushey Green in the 1880s and moved to Catford Broadway in 1929.

The covered market in the Catford Centre is separate and is not run by the council. It offers clothing, fruit and vegetables and fresh seafood, from Tuesday to Sunday.

Open Mon to Sat 9am to 5pm
Address Catford Broadway, SE6
Website lewisham.gov.uk/inmyarea/markets/street-markets
Good for toys, plants, clothes, fish

Weekend food markets

13. Horniman Market

The Horniman Market runs every Sunday on the Bandstand Terrace in the Horniman Gardens, with stalls selling seasonal fruit and vegetables, artisan bread and cheese, organic meat and street food. The Christmas Special on Sunday 6 December adds seasonal gifts, a festive craft, mulled wine and treats.

The museum says it is free and you can just drop in. The market has been cancelled for bad weather before, so check its page on the morning.

Open Sundays 10am to 3pm; Christmas Special on Sunday 6 December, 10am to 3pm
Price free entry
Address Horniman Gardens, Forest Hill, SE23 3PQ
Website horniman.ac.uk/event/horniman-market
Good for bread and cheese, organic meat, seasonal gifts, mulled wine

14. Blackheath Farmers’ Market

London Farmers’ Markets says this market opens every Sunday and closes only between Christmas and New Year, so the last Sundays before Christmas should be running. Not all stalls attend every week, and it says well-behaved dogs are welcome.

The car park is at Blackheath station, whose postcode falls just inside Greenwich.

Open Sundays 10am to 2pm; closed between Christmas and New Year
Address Blackheath station car park, SE3 9LA
Website lfm.org.uk/markets/blackheath
Good for farm produce, dogs welcome

15. Brockley Market

Brockley Market trades on Saturdays in the Lewisham College car park on Lewisham Way. Its site gives the day, time and place.

We could not find a list of its stalls or its Christmas dates there, so check before the last Saturdays of December.

Open Saturdays 10am to 2pm
Address Lewisham College car park, Lewisham Way, SE4 1UT
Website brockleymarket.com
Good for Saturday food shopping

Christmas fairs and open studios

16. Blackheath Christmas Fair

The Friends of Age Exchange run this fair, now in its 13th year, with 42 makers and traders selling handcrafted gifts and homemade treats, and seasonal music and refreshments. All proceeds go to Age Exchange, the local charity and community cafe.

It says the 2025 fair drew over 1,500 visitors. Its page mentions two sites and names Blackheath Halls, which sits just inside Greenwich.

It had not published opening times or an entry price when we checked.

Open Sunday 15 November 2026; times not yet published
Address Blackheath Halls, 23 Lee Road, SE3 9RQ
Website age-exchange.org.uk/christmasfair
Good for handmade gifts, homemade treats, charity raffle

17. Cockpit Deptford Winter Open Studios

Cockpit is a registered charity and craft business incubator with studios in Deptford and Bloomsbury. ianVisits’ listing says its open studios are the only time it opens its doors to the public, a chance to buy jewellery, homewares, ceramics and fashion accessories direct from the makers. The times and the £15 standard ticket come from that listing, as we could read only the date on Cockpit’s own page.

Its Bloomsbury studios open on a different date, so make sure you book Deptford.

Open Fri 4 December 5pm to 9pm; Sat 5 and Sun 6 December 12pm to 6pm
Price standard ticket £15, per ianVisits
Call 020 8692 4463
Address 18-22 Creekside, Deptford, SE8 3DZ
Website cockpitarts.com/whats-on/winter-2026-deptford
Good for jewellery, ceramics, homewares, buying direct from makers

How we chose

We started with shops named in Lewisham Council’s own Christmas and Small Business Saturday round-ups, the Sydenham Society’s directory and local listings, then opened each one’s site or listing to check it was trading and to read its hours. We chose independents first, and left out shops we could not confirm were still open. Stag and Bow on Dartmouth Road is not here because the latest notice on its site advertises a sale of all its stock and shop fittings. Several of the shops on the council’s lists have no site we could read, so they may yet be added.

For the rest of the season, see what’s on in Lewisham this month and things to do in Lewisham. If you are coming by train or car, our Christmas trains page and parking guide have the details, and the business directory lists more local shops.

Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@lewishamnews.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@lewishamnews.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.

Frequently asked questions

When are the Christmas fairs in Lewisham in 2026?

The Blackheath Christmas Fair is on Sunday 15 November at Blackheath Halls, the Cockpit Deptford Winter Open Studios run from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 December, and the Horniman Market Christmas Special is on Sunday 6 December, 10am to 3pm. The council had not announced any 2026 winter markets when we checked on 5 November.

Which Lewisham shops open on Sundays before Christmas?

Kirkdale Bookshop opens 12pm to 4pm, The Word 12pm to 5pm, Better Things 11am to 4pm, Moon Lane Books 11.30am to 4pm, Jones of Brockley 9am to 6pm and Lewisham Shopping Centre 10.30am to 5pm. Lewisham Market lists Sundays from 10am to 4pm. These are the usual hours, and few shops had posted Christmas hours when we checked.

Is there a Christmas market in Lewisham in 2026?

No council winter market had been announced on 5 November. Past ones were announced in mid November. The regular markets at Lewisham, Deptford and Catford trade as usual, and the Horniman Market holds a Christmas Special on 6 December. Our Christmas markets page tracks new dates.