Plate with herrings

If you walked from Vlaardingen harbour to the market towards the end of the 18th century, you could not miss the inn known as De Visscher. Inside, you would have found a smoky tavern that served beer, wine and spirits, and that was humming with fishermen’s tales. There was a cesspit in the passageway leading to the kitchen. It was here, centuries later, that archaeologists discovered over a thousand items of kitchenware and 227 pipe bowls from the period 1770-1790. With the aid of an inventory of items in this building, drawn up in 1774, they were able to find out where the various objects had been used within the inn. The three crossed herrings on the plate may have been the ‘logo’of this tavern.