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Eleanor Crow’s East End Fish Shops

September 21, 2017
by the gentle author

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Victoria Fish Bar, Roman Rd

I try to eat fresh fish at least once a week and so, as I travel around the East End, I tend to navigate in relation to the fish shops. Illustrator Eleanor Crow shares a similar passion, witnessed by these loving portraits of top destinations for fish, whether jellied eels, fish & chips or fresh on the slab. “These places are a reminder of our river-dependent history,” Eleanor informed me, “I love the look of London’s famous eel shops with their ornate lettering and wooden partitions. Nothing beats having a proper fishmongers’ shop or market stall in the neighbourhood – not only do the shops look good, but these guys really know about fish.”

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F.Cooke, Broadway Market

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The Fishery, Stoke Newington High St

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George’s Place, Roman Rd

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G. Kelly, Bethnal Green Rd

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Mike’s Quality Fish Bar, Essex Rd

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Davies & Sons, Hoe St

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The Fish Plaice, Cambridge Heath Rd

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Mersin Fish, Morning Lane

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Dennis Chippy, Lea Bridge Rd

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Kingfisher, Homerton High St

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Mersin 2, Lower Clapton Rd

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Golden Fish Bar, Farringdon Rd

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Tubby Isaacs, formerly in Aldgate

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L. Manze, Walthamstow High St

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Sea Food & Fresh Fish, Chatsworth Rd

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G. Kelly, Roman Rd

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Steve Hatt, Essex Rd

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Jonathan Norris, Victoria Park Rd

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Downey Brothers, Globe Town Market Sq

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Barneys Seafood, Chambers St

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Billingsgate Market

Illustrations copyright © Eleanor Crow

You may also like to see Eleanor Crow’s other East End illustrations

Eleanor Crow’s East End Cafes

Eleanor Crow’s East End Bakers

and read these other fish stories

At the Fish Harvest Festival

At the Fish Plaice

Boiling the Eels at Barney’s Seafood

At Tubby Isaac’s

Tom Disson, Fishmonger

Charlie Casey, Fishmonger

Albert Hafize, Fish Dealer

The Last Porters of Billingsgate Market

11 Responses leave one →
  1. Greg Tingey permalink
    September 21, 2017

    Davies & Sons Hoe St are my local supplier
    Absolutely brilliant ( & I don’t go there often enough, either … )

  2. September 21, 2017

    I love your pictures
    Also they remind me of Mr Benn and David McKee is my favourite illustrator ever
    x

  3. Peter Bailey permalink
    September 21, 2017

    Great to see more lovely drawings by Eleanor.

  4. September 21, 2017

    It has been said by Caroline nice pics of fish & chips shops. They are a trad British meal and always will be. However there is an ever ending menu now to cater for the variation in population & taste. They are not wrapped in old newspapers any more but in nice takeaway boxes or clean new wraps. I prefer to eat in the shop this means a quick transfer from oil to plate – nice. Thanks to GA & Eleanor’s stunning pics. Poet John

  5. Eddie Johnson permalink
    September 21, 2017

    Very nostalgic, my Mum took me down Roman Road (Bow end) every week for pie & mash at Kelly’s, sometimes when she couldn’t afford it we only had mash & likker (sic). Just up thed road from us was Malin’s at the beginning of Old Ford Road, where we got our fish & chips, I didn’t realise at the time that it was the oldest fish & chip shop in the world, of course its long gone now along with the Lady Franklin opposite. Barney & Tubby Isaacs were brothers, reputedly, although they had stalls opposite each other down the lane, never spoke for years. My late friend, Eddie Button employed Barney for many years in Chamber street and also acquired the Tubby Isaacs name, if you bought eels from him you could use the name, hence they had, maybe still do, a Tubby Isaacs in Clacton. I believe Eddie’s son Mark still runs the business. I do enjoy these brief forays into the past…thanks GA.

    Eddie Johnson

  6. September 21, 2017

    Wonderful paintings, I would like to eat my way through all those shops! Valerie

  7. September 21, 2017

    After shopping with my mum in Dalston market, a special treat was the pie & mash shop. I’d poke the live eels, very gently because the had teeth, just to see them wake up and slither a bit.

  8. Helen Breen permalink
    September 21, 2017

    Greetings from Boston,

    GA, thanks for sharing Eleanor Crow’s delightful array of popular London fish shops. Just hope they do not go the way of so many neighborhood pubs.

    Nice memories shared above by those who really remember these establishments “back in the day” …

  9. Stephen Barker permalink
    September 21, 2017

    Beautiful pictures. They would make an excellent book with a small amount of text about each shop.

  10. barbara permalink
    September 23, 2017

    Sadly the Golden fish bar on Farringdon Road is no more.

  11. September 29, 2017

    I like the “Fresh Frozen Fish “shop in Merlin Lane; nothing like a nice bit of fresh frozen fish, straight from the freezer 🙂

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