Stratford Fruit and Vegetable Market was served by the railway. Railways were called 'Common Carriers' and were responsible for moving a huge variety of freight and goods. All lot of freight was moved at night, especially perishable goods such as fish or vegetables, so that they were as fresh as possible for the markets the next day. This was particularly important before the advent of refrigeration. Essex and East Anglia produced soft fruit and vegetables which had to be moved in this way.  This image shows the front page of a timetable and instructions for the movement of this type of traffic in 1923.