The first fish and chips shop in London, 1864
- When
- 1860
- Where
- Bow, East London
- Episodes
- 1
The claim that the first fish and chips shop opened in London in 1864 is uncertain. Sources indicate the earliest known shops opened in London during the 1860s, specifically citing Joseph Malin in Bow, East London, circa 1860. The specific date of August 13, 1864, is not supported by the provided evidence.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. Fish and chips originated in England in the 19th century. Fried fish and chips existed separately for at least 50 years prior to their combination in shops. The Oxford English Dictionary notes the earliest usage of 'chips' in this sense in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities (1859).
Earliest Shops. The earliest known shops were opened in London during the 1860s. Joseph Malin, an Eastern European Jewish immigrant, is cited as opening the first recorded combined fish-and-chip shop in Bow, East London, circa 1860. A Mr Lees pioneered the concept in Mossley, Lancashire, in 1863.
Uncertainty. The possibility that fried fish and chips had been combined at an earlier time cannot be ruled out. The specific date of August 13, 1864, is not supported by the provided passages, which instead cite 'circa 1860' for Joseph Malin's shop in London.
People involved
- Joseph Malin · Eastern European Jewish immigrant
- John Lees · Pioneer in Mossley, Lancashire
Sources
- Fish and chips Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-01
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.