Neal's Yard


Neal's Yard is a small alley in London's Covent Garden between Shorts Gardens and Monmouth Street which opens into a courtyard. It is named after the 17th century developer, Thomas Neale.
In 1976, alternative activist and entrepreneur Nicholas Saunders started the bulk Whole Food Warehouse; he had bought 2 Neal's Yard, a derelict warehouse for the nearby Covent Garden fruit and vegetable market, for £7,000 a few years earlier. From this success, grew various other enterprises in other buildings such as Neal's Yard Coffee House, Neal's Yard Bakery and the Neal's Yard Apothecary.
The area now contains several health-food cafes and retailers such as Neal's Yard Remedies, Neal's Yard Dairy, Casanova & daughters, and Wild Food Cafe.