A little bit of history

In Britain, we are no closer to the ideal of a permanent exhibition dedicated to the history of our fishing than we were half a century ago. But times change and new opportunities arise, and so the Medlar Press - Britain's largest angling publisher - has agreed to sponsor an on-line museum. Lest anyone believe otherwise, this is in itself a challenging enough proposition, given the need to secure copy, illustrations, design, web knowhow and bandwidth, but the pages that follow represent a core that will grow into a major resource for anyone interested in the history of British fishing.


Where we say 'British', we also say Irish, because the history of the four nations involved are so intertwined as to be almost indivisible, at least as far as angling is concerned.


This page is the gateway into the Fishing Museum website, and at the rate we have been adding pages, we are confident is going to grow into a great shaggy dog of a thing, although as yet it is only a young puppy. So at the moment, what you are about to experience is a broad brush treatment of the history of British fishing - but it will grow, so keep coming back, because we promise to serve up more. New articles are being added on a regular basis and we welcome contributions, both in terms of copy and sponsorship. We would particularly like to hear from experts on the history of sea fisheries.

Please not that we specifically do not offer tackle identification or valuations.

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What will you find here?

This isn't an ordinary museum, so don't plan to spend the day wandering around staring at stuffed fish in glass cases. Instead, get ready for high definition photographs, backed up by articles telling the story behind the images. We have video and audio seminars linked in from the Medlar Media site, and a photo library is on the way. If you just want to relax, drink a beer and chill out to some historical fly tying videos, then click here and watch for as long as you like.

Don't forget - to see the main collection, just click on the categories on the black navigation bar up above, or use the links below.

Please note that the text and images on this site are copyright. Non-profit making sites may use the low resolution images from this site as long as permission is asked before doing do so and a link is created to this site. High resolution images are available from the Medlar Photo Library, together with many other photographs - please visit the shop page for more information and pricing. Contact details can be found here.

 

 

Latest Features

 

Blacker-Phantom of the Past

The gateway to everything you need to know about the forthcoming Blacker trilogy.

 


 

The Anglers' BibleThe Anglers' Bible

A stunning tour through the early days of Hardys of Alnwick, illustrated with images from their rarest catalogues.

 


 

The Amazing Story of Frederic Tolfrey

An extract from the forthcoming Blacker trilogy-you will never think of Tolfrey the same way every again.

 


 

Strange Things Found Inside Fish

How to publish a heresy found inside a cod and other stories.

 


 

The Alexandra

Click on to read about the argument about who invented the deadly Alexandra - a fly with royal connections.