HISTORY

The Fish & Duck Marina lies at Pope’s Corner, the point at which the two main Fenland rivers — the Cam & the Old West — join the third great Fenland River, the Great Ouse, before heading north via Ely to meet the sea at The Wash.

Pope’s Corner did not start life as a marina; instead, it was the site on which stood a well-known local public house—the ‘Fish & Duck Inn.’ Built in 1850 & with seven rooms & 12 stable blocks, it was of a considerable size! The first named owner & publican of the Fish & Duck Inn was a gentleman named Richard Pope & the river junction ‘Pope’s Corner’ still bears his name today.

Little history has been uncovered of the gap between the 19th Century & today, however we do know that the last known published change was in the 1980s, when the popular Fish & Duck Inn was converted into a licensed riverside discotheque.

Around this time, a marina was developed & opened. While the marina remains in operation on this site, the pub unfortunately gave up its battle against subsidence & water damage in 2009.

The marina has changed hands many times since the 1980s and in October 2011 it was taken on by a local couple, Davina and James Harvey, who set about improving the facilities provided by the marina. The marina business is now operated by Duncan and Tracey Simmonds, having taken over in 2015.