Corvi's: West Lothian fish shop Corvi's celebrates 125th birthday as one of UK's oldest

One of the UK's oldest fish and chip shops is celebrating its 125th birthday this month - after it was opened by Italian migrants who left New York in the 1890s.

Corvi's, which has old-fashioned painted signage and advertises 'fish tea' and 'fresh ices' across its windows, is a favourite in Bo'ness, West Lothian, with generations of families popping in for a visit.

It was opened by New Yorkers Antonio and Clementina Ferarri who moved to Scotland in 1896 - at a time before pizza and pasta were on the menu for Brits.

Around 1910 they were joined by future son-in-law Bertie Corvi who moved from Italy to help run the shop, eventually falling in love with the owners' daughter Rosie Ferrarri who he married, giving the cafe its current name.

Rosie and Bertie's eldest son Tony took over the shop from his parents and ran the business together with his wife Eveline.

It was then passed down to their son, Bert, 71, and mum Marie, 66, who handed it over to their only child a couple of years ago.

It is now run by the founders' great-great-daughter, Mari-Ellena Corvi-Buchanan, 36, and her husband, Donnie, 31 - who have deliberately kept the decor staunchly old fashioned including 1960s chairs, and use a fryer dating from 1967.

Mari-Ellena, who has a degree from St Andrews University, said: "In the 1900s, if you presented someone with a pizza or pasta, they wouldn't eat it".

"It was something that already existed, so people would have thought, well I can turn my hand to that”.

"Initially it was just ice cream they sold and confectionery”.

"Because Bo'ness was a big port town, the dock workers would be looking for something hot to eat, that was why they started doing fish and chips".

The docks closed in 1959, ending the port town's history which stretched back to the 16th Century.

But that hasn't stopped generations of hungry residents popping into the historic chippy for a fish tea over the years.

Despite having studied Spanish and business management, Mari-Ellena wanted to keep the family restaurant going - due in part to the special place it holds in the hearts of customers.

She added: "Loads of them have been coming in for years, they will come in and say 'I remember your great-granny used to always give us the wee crispy bits of batter with extra vinegar on them'.

"Or people who remember my granny giving them extra chips when they were wee.

"There are people who were brought in by their granny when they were wee and now they are bringing in their own grandchildren. It's nice".

She grew up with dad Bert and mum Marie running the chippy - and took over from them full time a couple of years ago.

Mari-Ellena said: “I never felt any pressure to do it, I think it's more like I actually wanted to do it.

"When you've done something for so long it just becomes part of you.

"My dad never wanted me to feel pressured into carrying the business on.

"I worked with him for a couple of years and then he retired and my husband Donnie and I took over a couple of years ago."

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.