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The Three Fishes.
The inn was known first as the Fishes, then the Old Three Fishes and from 1838 to the present da...
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The Three Fishes.
Summary
| Address | Fish Street Shrewsbury Shropshire |
| Postcode | SY1 1UR |
| Telephone | 01743 344793 |
| Fax | 01743 344793 |
| Opening Hours | Mon-Sun 12-2.15pm Full Menu Available Mon - Sat 6- 8.30pm |
| Real Ales | Yes |
| CAMRA | Yes |
| Awards | Several Cask Mark Awards. Regularily features in the Good Beer Guide and was the West Shropshire CAMRA Pub of the year in 2002/03 |
| Offers | Consistent good quality in a smoke free environment. |
| Customers | Any one who likes a pint in a smoke free situation. |
The inn was known first as the Fishes, then the Old Three Fishes and from 1838 to the present day as the Three Fishes. There are two possibilities for the origin of its name. The first is that it takes its name from the emblem of the Abbot of Lillishall Abbey whose town house stands on the corner at the junction of Fish Street and Butcher Row. The second and most likely is that the name reflects the fishmonger's trade that was carried out in the street from boards hung on the wall opposite and stretching from the Bear Steps to the junction with High Street. The fish market was held there on certain days of the week up until 1869 when it was removed to the new market hall at the top of Mardol.
The inn was officially recorded in 1780 and was one of four recorded in the street, the others being the Half Moon, the Plough and the Bear. The inn is housed in a picturesque half-timbered building, which has a jettied upper storey and probably dates from the 16th century.
In 1831 the Salopian Journal informs its readers that John Birch at the Fishes House in Fish Street would hold a sale on Saturday 26th March at 5p.m. of "All that Free Hold Messuage or dwelling house situated in Fish Street and late in the occupation of Mrs Edwards deceased." At the beginning of the 1880s the landlord was Samuel Wilson Smith who in 1886 changed the name of the inn to Ye Sportsman Inn for a short time, but the new name proved unpopular and it soon reverted back to the old one.
The owners of the Three Fishes in 1900 were Southam's Brewery, who had their main works in Chester Street on the site of the Gateway Education Centre. The landlord John Evans was tied to sell the brewery's beer and stout but was allowed to make his own arrangements for wines and spirits. The house had eight rooms, four private and four public. There were beds for eight paying guests in three bedrooms and there was a bagatelle board in the bar to entertain customers.
It was the first public house in Shrewsbury to introduce a no smoking policy on its premises.