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Picture source: Darkstar

The Three Blackbirds was situated at 41 Broad Street. This pub closed in 1932 and is now in residential use.

From Cambridgeshire Heritage:

In 1981 The Ely Preservation Trust acquired the building known as The Three Blackbirds, (at 41 Broad Street, Ely).In the course of its restoration and conversion into three dwellings, much was discovered about its history. Originally built n the C13 by a wealthy merchant, it had intermittently incorporated a public house from the late C18 to the C20 (1932).The original C13 building plan was centred round the open hall, which has survived in its roof structure, possibly extending to the E and to the W. The open hall shows fire-blackened timbers and a C13 date, (c 1280),is suggested for its roof. An archaeological excavation revealed the original open hearth, made of millstones, one complete. Oliver Rackham, in 1982, made the suggestion that the pine rafters of the hall roof might be re-used scaffold poles. The partition walls were originally timber framed, but were rebuilt in brick in the late C15 or early C16. It is thought that the floors of the undercroft and the inner counting house are late C13in date. Traces of wall paintings were discovered in the undercroft by Clive Rouse. The original external walls of the C13 have been replaced but the Barnack limestone offsets to the brick buttresses and re-used stone cills and other Medieval stones on the site may point to a rubble limestone or clunch building with Barnack limestone used for the dressings. The outer walls were rebuilt in the early C14 in brick. One original window was uncovered in the E gable to the inner room or counting house. A pair of C14 niches was discovered by the hall doorway to the undercroft. They had trefoiled heads and grooves in the jambs for shelves. Perhaps they were used as cupboards, as also the brick arched recess underneath, with corbelled brick jambs. The C14 building was dual purpose. It provided living accommodation in the open hall and possibly a solar above a parlour in the cross wing. To the E of the hall were the commercial rooms, the undercroft for storage and the inner room or counting house with a staircase from near the N door leading to the upper chamber. In the late C15 or early C16 a chimney stack was inserted into the hall. The wide open hearth was blocked perhaps in the C19 and only part of its arch has survived as a corbel. The rescue of this important merchant's house was the second project of the Ely Preservation Trust. The house was a magnificent, early smoke-blackened hall roof with passing braces.

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Picture source: Darkstar