The Arms of the Company are blazoned:
Shield: Azure three Dolphins naiant embowed in pale Argent finned toothed and crowned Or between two pairs of Stockfish in saltire Argent over the mouth of each Fish a Crown Or on a Chief Gules three pairs of Keys of St Peter in saltire
Crest: Upon a Helm on a Wreath Argent and Sable, two Cubit Arms the dexter vested Or cuffed Azure the sinister vested Azure cuffed Or the Hands Argent holding an Imperial Crown Proper
Supporters: On the dexter side a Merman armed and holding in his right hand a Falchion and with his left sustaining the Helm and Timbre, and on the sinister side a Mermaid holding in her left hand a Mirror and supporting the Arms with her right hand, all Proper
Motto: Al Worship be to God Alone (thus spelt, and shared with the Company's Gresham's School)
The Great Fire
On Sunday 2nd September 1666, Fishmongers’ Hall was the first of forty Livery Halls to catch the flames of the Great Fire of London. Thanks to the Hall’s riverside location, the most important documents, the iron money chest and Company silver, were safely transported away by boat, but the building itself was destroyed.
From the destruction arose an opportunity to enlarge the site. A site next door, which had been acquired in the sixteenth century, could now be combined with the existing premises - allowing more room for a new riverside Hall and for tenants beside the street.
The Post-Fire Hall
In order to obtain royal planning permission, the Company submitted its design and a payment of ten gold pieces to a Dr Christopher Wren, who was then Charles II’s Surveyor General. The new Hall was one of the first important riverside buildings completed in the City after the Great Fire and, during its century and a half of existence, was painted by a number of artists, including Canaletto.
In 1828, it was agreed that part of the Hall’s site should be cut off to make way for a new London Bridge. This, combined with the fact that much of the Hall’s interior needed to be renewed due to water damage, led to the feeling that it was time to start afresh.
Architectural achievement
In 1831 the Fishmongers’ Company announced a competition for the design of a new Hall. It proved to be England’s most notable architectural competition between 1822 (for London Bridge) and 1835 (for the Houses of Parliament) and attracted 87 entrants.
The winning design, by Henry Roberts, was selected in 1832. Featuring an arcaded base in the Roman-aqueduct style, a Greek style building and a riverside terrace, materials included Portland stone and the same Devon granite as the new London Bridge. The Hall was completed in the spring of 1835 and, with the architect supervising the ordering of fixtures and furnishings, was in use from June of that year.
The Second World War
On 9th September 1940, bombs fell on all sides of the Hall, causing fire and great damage. Whilst the riverside range was gutted and the roof over the grand staircase destroyed, most of Roberts’ essential structure remained and, fortunately, most of the Company’s records and treasures had already been removed from the Hall. Restoration was prolonged due to materials shortages during and after the war years, but was completed by 1954, under the watchful eye of architect H. Austen Hall.
The private wharf which the Company and its tenants enjoyed before 1666 and between 1835-1975 has once again become part of the public pedestrian quay.
The Fishmongers’ Company is one of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of the City of London, and among the most ancient of the City Guilds. For over 700 years, as well as fostering the fellowship among our members, we have upheld standards in the trading of fish and shellfish and supported the fisheries industry – roles we still play today.
Our core activities include support for a number of fish and fisheries-related organisations, including the UK Marine Biological Association, the Salmon & Trout Association and the Shellfish Association of Great Britain all of which we helped establish. We also support a range of charities, notably Gresham’s School in Norfolk, the City and Guilds of London Art School and the Billingsgate Seafood Training School at the heart of the country’s largest – and oldest – fish market. At the centre of the Company is our magnificent Hall with its distinguished riverside location. The grand entertaining rooms at Fishmongers’ are available for events helping to support our charitable work.