DP371706.īardsley church does have an Anglo-Saxon tower, and the town itself is mentioned in the Domesday Book.īut locals probably had to wait a little longer for somewhere to have a drink. Inside the Bingley Arms in Bardsey, West Yorkshire, with the pub manager. It’s more likely from the 18th century, consistent with a surviving 1738 datestone. ![]() No records support the Bingley Arms being of 10th century origins. The Grade II listed Bingley Arms in Bardsey, West Yorkshire. The Bingley Arms near Leeds in West Yorkshire claims to be of Anglo-Saxon origins, previously known as the ‘Priest’s Inn’ and ‘officially’ the oldest pub in England. DP046290.īy 1760 there was definitely an inn called the Pilgrim, and by 1799 someone had changed the name to imply a trip to the Holy Land. Inside Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham. DP046286.Īn inn appears to have been built on this site around 1680 when the first Duke of Newcastle was rebuilding the castle above. The Grade II listed Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham. However, records suggest there wasn’t an inn in the city until at least 1483, and even this is unlikely. In bold black letters, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem claims to be from 1189 and ‘the oldest inn in England’. Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, Nottingham, after 1680 The first recorded licensee appeared in 1822, so Oliver Cromwell, who died in 1658, likely didn’t stable his horse here either, another local legend.īefore 1872, the Fighting Cocks was known as the Fisherman, based on the idea that monks stored their fishing tackle in this waterside spot. A sign outside Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans, Hertfordshire. And while there may once have been a medieval brewhouse on the site, this is not the same as a pub. Unfortunately, however, its claim to be an 11th century structure on an 8th century site doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny.Īrchaeological excavations suggest the present building dates from no earlier than about 1600. The Grade II listed Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Reputedly the ‘oldest public house in England’, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans, Hertfordshire, has the most substantial claim to be England’s oldest pub. Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, St Albans, around 1600 So if you want to find the oldest place where you can still buy a drink, you need to look at the great medieval inns.įirst, however, here are the contenders for the oldest pub by modern definition. No medieval alehouses, and few taverns, survive in England. This carving in St Lawrence’s Church in Ludlow, Shropshire, shows a medieval person serving alcohol, presumably an alehouse keeper. These had provided drink, food and shelter for centuries since the Middle Ages. It incorporated elements of earlier types of buildings: the alehouse, the tavern and the inn. The pub, as we think of today, emerged in the middle of the 19th century. Often, anywhere that claims to be ‘England’s oldest pub’ almost certainly isn’t. Where evidence is absent, the imagination often fills in the gaps. Others claim Anglo-Saxon origins or links to the medieval Knights Templar. ![]() Spoiler alert: no pubs are mentioned in the Domesday Book. Several pubs claim to have been mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. The Grade I listed George Inn in Norton St Phillip, Somerset, might be the oldest place in England where you can still buy a drink. Pubs are fertile ground for tall tales, with many claims to be the oldest pub in England.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |