Fishy Tales

Having spent a fair amount of time staring at medieval floors I can tell you that there are a great many animals to be found there. Leopards, deer, griffins and all manner of other creatures were depicted upon floor tiles. The most curious of them all, however, is the fish lurking amongst the lions and foxes at Westminster.

Whilst the appearance of such a friendly piscine face is undoubtedly peculiar, the explanations that have been offered to rationalise its presence are even more so. Little has been said so far that is at all convincing, and so the riddle of the Westminster fish continues to frustrate and fascinate the bemused art historian.