Pull up a bar stool and get familiar with some of England’s oldest pubs.
From the Knights Templar to John Lennon’s grandmother, here are eleven fascinating histories behind listed pubs.
1. Billet & Bear, Chester, Cheshire
The Bear & Billet was built in 1664 to replace a building destroyed in the Civil War.
The building has some famous ancestors. It was originally the townhouse of the Earls of Shrewsbury and the birthplace of Beatles legend John Lennon’s grandmother.
John Lennon’s grandmother, Annie Jane Millward, was born in 1873 and is said to have lived here until her 20s. The building became an inn in the 18th century, although it continued to be owned by the Shrewsbury family until 1867.
2. The George Inn, Norton St Philip, Somerset
The George is one of several establishments that claims to be Britain’s oldest tavern.
The date given for its building is suggested as 1223, and a continuous licence is claimed from 1397. This would have been a licence allowed by the Prior since the earliest Governmental licences for alehouses date from 1552. The date of 1223 pre-dates the building of the Priory nine years later.
It may have been that when the monks moved here to found the Priory, they first built on this spot to provide temporary living accommodation. Whatever the accuracy of the dates, it is certain that the monks built the present George Inn, and it served as its guest house during the life of the Priory.
3. Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem Inn, Nottingham
The Trip also claims to be England’s oldest Inn, built in the 12th century (although there is no documentation to verify this.)
Its original name was the Pilgrim (at least when it was recorded in 1751).
The unusual name comes from the story that King Richard the Lionheart and his men gathered here before journeying to Jerusalem in 1189AD. It is nestled into Castle Rock (just underneath Nottingham’s historic castle) with the cellars rooted deep into the cliff.
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4. Angel and Royal Hotel, Grantham, Lincolnshire
The Angel and Royal, originally named just the Angel, started as a hostel, supposedly built by the Knights Templar in 1203 on Great North Road.
The Knights ran the hostelry until their dissolution in 1312 and developed into a coaching inn over the years. In 1812 the Inn was sold by Lord Brownlow to Sir William Manners, along with his other property in Grantham.
Several English royals are claimed to have stayed at the Angel, including King John, Queen Philippa, Richard III, Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, George IV and Edward VII.
5. The Old Bell and Steelyard Inn, Woodbridge, Suffolk
This pub dates from about 1540. Outside is the listed steelyard, which gives the pub its name.
This steelyard, an impressive 15th-century weighbridge, has the unique record of having been taken down in 1897, brought to London to form part of a London street at the Victoria Era Exhibition, and then returned to its old site.
There is a model of it in the Science Museum at South Kensington, London.
6. Ye Olde Man and Scythe, Churchgate, Bolton
This pub has one of the bloodiest histories on this list due to the beheading of the Earl of Derby outside the pub in 1651.
His family owned the pub, and he was executed for his part in the Bolton Massacre. There is a chair inside, which he supposedly sat on before being taken outside.
Although most of the present building is from the 20th century, the earliest recorded mention of the name is in a charter from 1251. It appears to have been rebuilt in 1636, with the vaulted cellar and some internal beams remaining from the original structure.
7. Dick Whittington’s Tavern, Gloucester
The pub is named after the original owner’s famous nephew, Dick Whittington, who became Mayor of London four times. It is thought to be one of the most haunted spots in the city, with several stories about ghosts residing in the pub.
Stories include a deceased regular customer who still likes to have his tipple at the bar and is responsible for bottles jumping off shelves and a victim of the plague who perished in the downstairs bar.
8. Black Castle, Brislington, Bristol
Built in 1745-55 as a folly in the form of a castle and designed by William Halfpenny or James Bridges for the prominent local businessman William Reeve of Mount Pleasant.
The Castle is built from pre-cast black copper-slag blocks from Reeve’s foundry at Crew’s Hole. Designed in the Gothic Revival style, the building is symmetrical in plan with crenellated circular towers at each corner that links two-storey blocks to form a square courtyard.
The writer Horace Walpole arrived in Brislington in 1766 on a journey to Bristol he was taken aback by the “large Gothic building, coal black and striped with white. I took it for the Devil’s Cathedral!”
9. The George Inn, Borough, London
Dating from the 16th century, the Grade I listed George Inn is the last remaining galleried inn in London.
In 1676 the George was rebuilt after a serious fire that destroyed most of medieval Southwark.
A large part of the inn was pulled down by the Great Eastern Railway Company (who used part of the building as offices) in 1874, but it still retains part of its gallery.
The famous inn was visited by Charles Dickens, among other famous Londoners of the time, such as Shakespeare, and mentioned in Little Dorrit.
10. The Bingley Arms, Bardsey, Leeds
The Bingley Arms, or The Priests Inn as it was once called, claims a history that dates back as far as 953AD when Samson Ellis brewed in the central part of the building.
There is even a suggestion that it was standing before neighbouring All Hallows Church, built in 950AD.
There are two ‘priest holes’ dating back to 1539, where priests hid for safety following the Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII.
In 1780 the Inn was renamed the Bingley Arms after Lord Bingley took it over. Several ghost sightings have occurred, with staff spotting a cavalier, a young girl and a mysterious dog.
11. The Old Crown, Digbeth, Birmingham
The Old Crown is the last timber-framed building remaining in the city centre and was claimed to have been built in 1368.
However, the recent opinion suggests an early 16th-century date, as its roof typically dates to around 1500-1550.
It is thought to have been originally built as the Guildhall and School of St John Deritend. The earliest evidence of the building’s use as an Inn is from 1626.
When Prince Rupert’s forces raided Birmingham during the English Civil War, heated skirmishes were fought around the building.
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What have we missed? Let us know your favourite historic pubs in the comments below.
Robert Raikes House in Gloucester is now a John Smith’s pub, lovingly restored. Looks amazing. Also, the New Inn in Gloucester has history, and it’s not new. Original coaching inn, also haunted. Gloucester has a fine collection!
I think the Bell inn at Finedon is is one of the earliest inns possibly older than the Trip
You left out ye olde trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham. It is claimed that it has been a pub since 1197. It is built into the cabe system just below Nottingham castle. It houses many oddities and quirks that make it a fascinating place to drink.
I’ve been in there a couple of times, it’s a very interesting pub.
Thanks for your feedback Neil, we updated the blog to include your suggestion.
I’d like to mention two of Nottingham oldest inns – Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem Inn, in existence since 1189, and carved out of the rock directory under Nottingham Castle which famously served the Crusaders on their way to Jerusalem, and Ye Olde Salutation Inn, across the way, which has been a public house from about 1240 that lays claim (along with Ye Old Trip and the Bell Inn) to being the oldest in Nottingham. Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is reputably England’s oldest inn.
The was a TV programme back in the early 90’s where the origins of 3 of Nottingham’s oldest inns had samples taken from their timbers. The Bell Inn on Angel row was found to have the oldest timbers by way of Carbon 14 dating at Nottingham University, but the pub wasn’t established until the 15th century.
I was in the Trip on the night of the programme and the TV guest we had was Blue Peter’s Diane Louise Jordan.
Thanks for your feedback Marysia, we updated the blog and included your suggestion of Ye Olde Trip to Jersualem.
Lovely looking pubs but you should have included the waggon and horses near Marlborough and Avebury village, built on 1669😍😍
Great list but missing Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans
You didn’t mention the Bakers Arms pub in Blaby, Leicestershire which was built in the 15th century.
The Compasses Inn in Lower Chicksgrove, Wiltshire dates from 1362 and is a traditional thatched country pub. Well worth a visit for the old world atmosphere and the great food!
That pub in Bolton is older then all of them fact.
Interesting to read, but nothing been said about the old pub in Marsden Grotto, in South Shields. Built into the cliffs with lift take. You down to the pub, they say at night landlord has to leave 1pt on bar for the spirits. A lady in white they say
Ye olde six bells in Horley ! The second oldest pub in England.
The Crown Inn Nantwich, former coaching house, black and white timbered building with minstrels gallery
Ley Arms Pub, Kenn thatched country inn, welcoming guests since 13 century
The Strugglers Inn Lincoln. Beside the hanging yard near the castle with a mighty History. One of the best Real ale pubs in England!
This made very interesting reading. The Grasshopper on the Green in Westerham Kent is of modern day significance as it seems that Sir Winston Churchill was a regular visitor there when he was in residence at Chartwell which is about fifteen minutes away by car. You can see many of his famous quotes displayed in the pub and are all very amusing.