Meare Fish House

Standing alone in a field near the village of Meare, this 14th-century stone building looks rather puzzling at first glance. The Fish House was built by Glastonbury Abbey's monks as a sophisticated operation to manage their freshwater fish supplies from the surrounding Somerset Levels. Back then, this whole area was flooded marshland - perfect for breeding fish to feed the abbey.

What remains today is a single-storey stone structure with Gothic windows, looking somewhat like a chapel that's lost its way. The building housed the abbey's fish steward and served as both storage and processing centre for the monks' aquaculture business. It's one of the few surviving examples of a medieval fish house in England.

History enthusiasts will find it fascinating, though families with young children might struggle to hold their attention for more than twenty minutes. There's not much to see inside - it's essentially an empty stone shell - but the context makes it special. The location, just off a quiet country lane between Street and Meare village, means you'll likely have it to yourself.

From nearby holiday parks like Wells Touring Park or Bucklegrove Holiday Park, it's worth combining with a visit to Glastonbury Abbey ruins to get the full monastic story. The walk around takes ten minutes at most, but photographers will appreciate the atmospheric stonework against the flat Somerset landscape.