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Nice article in the Sunday Times mag. Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem was thought of as the oldest, and I visited a few times on that, but they say it's not even the oldest in Nottingham. They say the Henry Tudor in Shrewsbury which is actually the original building (1426) There's a pub in Amersham that many say is the oldest - been there but can't remember the name. No flat-roofers there. The oldest in our vicinity must be Ye Olde White Harte in Barnes. Anyone know any contenders. They'll all be gone soon the way things are going.
Used to love The Wig & Pen pub up The Strand opposite the RCJ
Sadly long since shut.
The building is 16th Century and became an ale house where judges and journos of the day imbibed. Didn’t become a proper boozer until a long time later.
The loss of any boozer is tragic these days but losing ones that are steeped in history even more so
Cherish and enjoy life.... this ain't no dress rehearsal
I smashed my head on the cliff bit of the Olde J while entering the beer garden in about 1998. The ladies of the WI having lunch were very keen to see how I was.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Fleet Street is still going strong.
Beer and Beef has made us what we are - The Prince Regent
Used to love The Wig & Pen pub up The Strand opposite the RCJ
Sadly long since shut.
The building is 16th Century and became an ale house where judges and journos of the day imbibed. Didn’t become a proper boozer until a long time later.
The loss of any boozer is tragic these days but losing ones that are steeped in history even more so
The George is still there though - proper City pub.
Used to love The Wig & Pen pub up The Strand opposite the RCJ
Sadly long since shut.
The building is 16th Century and became an ale house where judges and journos of the day imbibed. Didn’t become a proper boozer until a long time later.
The loss of any boozer is tragic these days but losing ones that are steeped in history even more so
I agree. Whenever I go to the Dove in Hammersmith riverside, i sit in the little snug where it is said, James Thomson wrote the words to Rule Britannia. Even in other old pubs, think of all the geezers going back hundreds of years having a pint of wallop, telling daft jokes etc. Marvellous.
I was in the Trip last night. It's a decent pub, with some good beers on. The Salutation and the Bell both claim to be older though. The Crafty Crow at the top used to do a nice pint, Magpie Brewery, popped in and it must have changed hands as it's just called the Crow now and the range was poor..
There's quite a few pubs that go back to the Anglo-Saxon age. The Old Ferry Boat Inn, St Ives, Cambridgeshire reportedly dates back to 560 AD although there's no written evidence of this, but the inn is mentioned in Domesday Book and according to locals is haunted by Juliet Tewsley, a ghost who appears annually on the anniversary of her death by hanging herself after a narrow home defeat in the last minute in 1050 (+3). The Porch House, Stow-on-the-Wold, Cotswolds dates from 947 AD, and features a 16th-century stone fireplace with “witch marks” intended to ward off evil spirits who often appear dressed in Chelsea kits (ok, I made that last bit up). Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham – claims to have been established in 1189 AD, but as you say there's definitely ones as old, if not older ones there, for example, Ye Olde Salutation Inn, which sits on a network of caves and is believed to date back to the 9th century. It is also, inevitably, reputedly one of the most haunted pubs in England. The Royal Standard of England, Beaconsfield, also documented in Domesday Book as The Ship Inn in 1086, is considered one of the most likely candidates for the oldest pub still in operation, whilst Ye Olde Fighting Cocks (stop it), St Albans claims to date back to 793 AD. The George in Southwark has the oldest documented claim in Town (1542), but the Prospect of Whitby also claims to be older (1520), as does The Cheshire Cheese (1538). Ye Olde Mitre (1546) and Ye Olde Cock Tavern (1549) also date from the 1540s.
I smashed my head on the cliff bit of the Olde J while entering the beer garden in about 1998. The ladies of the WI having lunch were very keen to see how I was.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Fleet Street is still going strong.
Used to go in the Cheese a lot when I was working in the area in the early 80’s. Think it was a Marston’s pub in those days. Last time I was in there a couple of years ago I was charged £7.50 for a small bottle of Samuel Smith’s ‘organic’ pale ale or something. It was horrible.
The ‘controversial’ Samuel Smith’s owner Humphrey Smith died recently. Let’s just say opinions about his legacy differ …
I smashed my head on the cliff bit of the Olde J while entering the beer garden in about 1998. The ladies of the WI having lunch were very keen to see how I was.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Fleet Street is still going strong.
That gave me flashbacks to Clarice Starling’s descent into the basement of Buffalo Bill’s lair in Silence of the Lambs. The only thing missing was a death’s-head moth and a kidnap victim at the bottom of a dry well. I expect they’re working on it though.
Used to go in the Cheese a lot when I was working in the area in the early 80’s. Think it was a Marston’s pub in those days. Last time I was in there a couple of years ago I was charged £7.50 for a small bottle of Samuel Smith’s ‘organic’ pale ale or something. It was horrible.
The ‘controversial’ Samuel Smith’s owner Humphrey Smith died recently. Let’s just say opinions about his legacy differ …
The definitive answer as to which is the oldest ‘pub’ in England is The George Inn at Norton St Philip, Somerset. It has been in continuous use since 1345.
The claim about the Trip to Jerusalem was invented in 1909 by the landlord.
Rye in Sussex is a good place to go for old pubs. I've not got exact dates but The Old Bell and the Mermaid have been around a very long time and have hidden smugglers tunnels running between them apparently. I was in the Ypres Castle Inn a few weeks ago which feels very old but is merely 17th century but great! The Waterworks micropub is not an old pub but is situated in a very old toilet and you can purchase such beers such as 'Urinal Best Bitter' and 'Pissoir Porter' Highly recommend also!
Used to go in the Cheese a lot when I was working in the area in the early 80’s. Think it was a Marston’s pub in those days. Last time I was in there a couple of years ago I was charged £7.50 for a small bottle of Samuel Smith’s ‘organic’ pale ale or something. It was horrible.
The ‘controversial’ Samuel Smith’s owner Humphrey Smith died recently. Let’s just say opinions about his legacy differ …
Rye in Sussex is a good place to go for old pubs. I've not got exact dates but The Old Bell and the Mermaid have been around a very long time and have hidden smugglers tunnels running between them apparently. I was in the Ypres Castle Inn a few weeks ago which feels very old but is merely 17th century but great! The Waterworks micropub is not an old pub but is situated in a very old toilet and you can purchase such beers such as 'Urinal Best Bitter' and 'Pissoir Porter' Highly recommend also!
The definitive answer as to which is the oldest ‘pub’ in England is The George Inn at Norton St Philip, Somerset. It has been in continuous use since 1345.
The claim about the Trip to Jerusalem was invented in 1909 by the landlord.
The George is a truly fabulous place, but i'm afraid can't claim to be the 'oldest'. Unlike the ones cited in the thread, it's not mentioned in Domesday; the first written of it is in 1222, and the first proof of a licence to sell alcohol is 1397 (I could go on about medieval licenses until you've all gone home, but it's of interest to those of us involved). The place had such a colourful history afterwards (enquiries on request) that, I suspect, gave it its reputation.
The George is a truly fabulous place, but i'm afraid can't claim to be the 'oldest'. Unlike the ones cited in the thread, it's not mentioned in Domesday; the first written of it is in 1222, and the first proof of a licence to sell alcohol is 1397 (I could go on about medieval licenses until you've all gone home, but it's of interest to those of us involved). The place had such a colourful history afterwards (enquiries on request) that, I suspect, gave it its reputation.
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[Post edited 23 Aug 22:30]
Dr James Wright, a building archeologist, who wrote the article I attached has done lengthy and detailed research on the subject. I can only refer to his research. He’s also done a few threads on X on the subject, debunking other pubs claims. I think he’s also researched pubs/innns/hostels mentioned in the Domesday Bk and eliminated them. I also think part of his criteria is that the pub must have been in constant use.
Dr James Wright, a building archeologist, who wrote the article I attached has done lengthy and detailed research on the subject. I can only refer to his research. He’s also done a few threads on X on the subject, debunking other pubs claims. I think he’s also researched pubs/innns/hostels mentioned in the Domesday Bk and eliminated them. I also think part of his criteria is that the pub must have been in constant use.
[Post edited 23 Aug 22:34]
Yeah I know James - great guy, and the last person on earth to use the word 'definitive'. I think we'd like to agree that we have such a rich heritage that any claims to be the 'oldest' are pretty pointless. Let's such celebrate the oldest pub culture in the world? My Belgian father would immediately chime in ...
Yeah I know James - great guy, and the last person on earth to use the word 'definitive'. I think we'd like to agree that we have such a rich heritage that any claims to be the 'oldest' are pretty pointless. Let's such celebrate the oldest pub culture in the world? My Belgian father would immediately chime in ...
[Post edited 23 Aug 22:44]
This X thread supersedes the article I attached from HE. In it he seems pretty confident in naming one building as Britain’s oldest boozer. Perhaps you should get in contact with James as I am merely the middle man here!
The Bell in East Molesey dates back to the 1400's I believe. Crooked interiors. Wheb I moved to the area in 2012 it still had a lot of its charm, roaring wood fire in the winter. It then got bought out by GreenKing and re-opened a bit poncefied with litle remaining character other than the exterior.
Still, at leasts its still open. The Marquis of Granby up the road towards Esher, has been boarded up a couple of years now. That was a lovely looking pub.
This X thread supersedes the article I attached from HE. In it he seems pretty confident in naming one building as Britain’s oldest boozer. Perhaps you should get in contact with James as I am merely the middle man here!
[Post edited 23 Aug 23:39]
I note the George Inn is run by Butcombe, and has a large rear.
Used to go in the Cheese a lot when I was working in the area in the early 80’s. Think it was a Marston’s pub in those days. Last time I was in there a couple of years ago I was charged £7.50 for a small bottle of Samuel Smith’s ‘organic’ pale ale or something. It was horrible.
The ‘controversial’ Samuel Smith’s owner Humphrey Smith died recently. Let’s just say opinions about his legacy differ …
Of the various places I used to regularly take lunch in back in the day, my faves were: the Princess Louise (still my fave pub up town) and the Enterprise in Holborn; the Nell Gwynne and the Lamb and Flag in Covent Garden (bit touristy even back then); the Tipperary (oldest Irish pub I believe in London), another for the Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street; and the Lamb near GOSH. Can't recall the ones around Baker Street we'd frequent, but I popped into the Glasshouse near Regent Street...thankfully the 1989 banning order has passed!!
Before a final farewell to London a few years back, I went on a stroll to say goodbye to old haunts. These days I couldn't manage a beer in them all, but sad to see so many places either gone or, basically turned into restaurants.
He can be a bit snobby, but I sometimes watch 'Tweedy on Pubs' on YouTube. He clearly does tonnes of research, gives a lot of info on London pubs, and often a pleasant reminisce.
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