The 14th century fish house at Meare is believed to be the only survival in England of a building constructed to serve the needs of a medieval monastic fishery.
History of the Fish House
As head of one of the richest monasteries in England, the abbot of Glastonbury played host to the most powerful men in the land, including the king, and on such occasions the menu might include many types of fish, especially pike and carp.
Nearly every monastery had its fish pond, but the abbot of Glastonbury’s lake at Meare exceeded them all in size.
Although the fish house stands today in the middle of a field grazed by cows, in late medieval times the lake would have stretched northwards from the line of the present river bank into the far distance. Five miles in circumference and nearly 200 hectares (500 acres) in area, it was a valuable resource which the abbey guarded jealously.
This small house was most probably constructed by Abbot Adam of Sodbury (1322–5) close to the manor house he used as a summer retreat. It was built for the abbot’s water bailiff, the official charged with keeping watch over the lake.
The abbey was dissolved in 1539 and the lake drained 200 years ago, but the fish house survives well, although it was quite badly damaged in a fire at the end of the last century.
Description
The fish house was originally planned as a two-storey building with a first-floor hall and smaller rooms on the ground floor, which did not interconnect with the rooms above.
You can see traces on the wall of an external staircase which led up to the former entrance on the first floor, together with a chimney stack beside it. On the north-west corner there was also a small two-storey extension, which was probably a latrine tower.
Inside, there were three (possibly four) rooms on the ground floor in which fish could be dried, salted and stored for use in winter. The upper floor was divided into a hall and bedroom; a door in the corner of the bedroom opened into a now vanished latrine. Note the corbels that supported the vanished floor joists.
At the east end of the hall is a fine two-light window: the wave form of the pointed arches above is a hallmark of the Decorated style of Gothic. This detail, and the hall fireplace, reveal that despite its modest purpose the building was richly finished. Glastonbury Abbey’s water bailiff enjoyed a higher standard of living than many of his contemporaries, and certainly better than that of the poachers he was doubtless expected to catch.
Across the field from the fish house lie the parish church and Manor Court Farm, now a private residence, which is all that remains of Abbot Adam’s summer retreat. In its original form it was probably twice as large.
A weathered statue of an abbot crowns the gable of the porch. The church has a medieval pulpit and alms box; the chancel roof is an almost exact copy of the original roof of the fish house.
Sources
Aston, M (ed) 1988. 'Medieval Fish, Fisheries and Fishponds in England', BAR British Series, 182
Dunning, R W (ed) (forthcoming). 'The Victoria History of Somerset', vol. 9, Glastonbury and Somerset
Disclaimer
The text and pictures on this page are derived from the 'Heritage Unlocked' series of guidebooks published in 2004. We intend to review, update and enhance the content in the near future as part of the Portico project, whose objective is to provide information on the history, significance, research background and sources for all English Heritage properties.
