Which pub really IS Britain’s oldest? Myth-busting archaeologist names the inns with false claims – and the pubs that really ARE the oldest in the country
Debates over which pub in Britain is the oldest have raged for decades.
But now a new book by a construction archaeologist James Wright – Mythbusting of historical buildings (The History Press) – tries to solve the case once and for all. Or at least narrow the field to a few real contenders.
James, who appeared on Channel 4’s The Great British Dig, writes: ‘A culture that misrepresents its own history is in a precarious situation.’ With that in mind, he sets out to investigate some of the popular claims about ancient pub history, and discovers that many of them are extremely false.
The result in the book is a list of pubs that claim to be the oldest, but aren’t – and a rival list of pubs that claim much more strongly to be the oldest in the country. None that come up often in internet searches for ‘Britain’s oldest pub’, James notes.
Below we present a fascinating snapshot of both lists: five pubs with false claims to be old, or even the oldest, and seven fascinating inns you’ve probably never heard of that can raise a glass to their antiquated history.
PUBS WITH WILLING CLAIMS TO BE THE eldest
Old ferry inn, Holywell, Cambridgeshire
The Old Ferry Boat pub claims to have its origins in the year 560 AD. later 11th century’
THE CLAIM – DATE OF 560 AD
According to the Website of the old ferrythe pub’s origins can be traced back ‘all the way back to 560 AD… and it is widely believed to be the oldest pub in England’. And several online sources state that it was mentioned by name in the Domesday Survey of 1086.
IS IT TRUE? It is extremely unlikely; there is no supporting evidence whatsoever. James writes: ‘We have a total number of roofless non-ecclesiastical buildings anywhere in the country dating from before the late 11th century.’
He adds: ‘This is not to say that there were no alehouses before this period, but we have no evidence for their survival in any form.’
James pours further cold water on the claim, saying in his book: ‘The belief that pubs are mentioned in the Domesday Survey is incorrect. The Norman Survey provides an overview of who owned land, what resources were available and the financial value of the property before and after the Conquest.’
Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, St Albans, Hertfordshire
Ye Olde Fighting Cocks claims the structure dates back to 793 AD, but one historian traced the building’s origins to the year 1400
THE CLAIM – DATE FROM 793 AD
“Once recorded in the Guinness Book of Records, originally a pigeon coop used by monks, the original structure has been dated to 793 AD,” explains the website of the pub. ‘Since then we have been a place of refuge and relaxation for locals and visitors from all over the world.’
IS IT TRUE? Extremely unlikely. James says there are ‘some real stumbling blocks with the belief that the pub has been open continuously since 793’.
An important one, he points out, is that historian Jon Mein traces the origins of the building back to the year 1400, when it started as a monastery dovecote – at a different location.
It was moved to its current location, James explains, in the year 1600.
He added: ‘The first reference to the property’s use as a pub was in 1756, when it was named Drie Duiven, and it was first recorded as the Vechthanen in 1807.’
The Bingley Arms, Bardsey-cum-Rigton, West Yorkshire
The Bingley Arms is not the oldest pub in England; it was built in the 18th century, James says
THE CLAIM – DATE FROM 953 AD
The pub is IInstagram page says: ‘Welcome to the official Instagram page of The Bingley Arms [England’s Oldest Inn 953AD).’
IS IT TRUE? No. James writes: ‘Its listing entry by Historic England notes that it is a mid-18th-century building with much later remodelling. There is even a datestone of 1738.
‘Moreover, West Yorkshire vernacular architecture was dominated by timber-framed buildings until well into the post-mediaeval period, so it would be anomalous for The Bingley Arms to have been constructed, as it is, in stone, during the 10th century.’
Ye Old Man and Scythe, Bolton
Forget what’s written on the facade of Ye Old Man and Scythe – it was built in the mid-17th century
THE CLAIM – DATES TO 1251
The year 1251AD is painted on the front of the building and the pub’s Facebook page states that it’s ‘Bolton’s oldest pub, the 4th oldest pub in Britain, 5th oldest in the world’.
IS IT TRUE? No. James states: ‘The claim is predicated on its supposed reference in either a market charter of 1251 or the incorporation charter of the town, dated 1253. Both documents have been published and neither refer to any public houses at all.
‘Meanwhile, the building has been subjected to a detailed archaeological survey that noted the timber frame probably dated to the mid-17th century.’
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, Nottingham
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem’s claim to being the oldest inn was actually a marketing ploy launched by a previous landlord. It’s not even the oldest pub in Nottingham, says James
Historic Building Mythbusting – Uncovering Folklore, History and Archaeology by James Wright is out now (£20, The History Press)
THE CLAIM – DATES TO 1189
‘The oldest inn in England’ is painted on the side of the building. And the website declares: ‘Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, built in 1189, is England’s oldest surviving inn, just ask our resident ghosts. We were aptly christened when King Richard the Lionheart and his men congregated here before embarking on the Crusades in Jerusalem.’
IS IT TRUE? This claim is false. Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem isn’t even the oldest pub in Nottingham, let alone England, says James.
He explains: ‘The date painted on the side of the building seems to have been decided upon arbitrarily to create a circumstantial legend corresponding to the 1189 coronation of Richard I. The famous Angevin king did recruit a large crusading army from across a de facto empire, which stretched from the Scottish borders in the north to the Pyrenees in the south, but, crucially, Nottingham did not play a significant role in the muster.
‘Richard was eventually present in the town when he laid siege to Nottingham Castle for three days, in 1194, but the Trip’s claim to crusader links seems somewhat unlikely.’
James reveals that one of the timbers in the bar has been tree-ring dated to 1585, but it could be a ‘reused element not in its original location’.
Then there’s the architecture.
‘The primary frame of the building has been dated stylistically to the 17th century, having been remodelled in the following centuries,’ notes James.
He continues: ‘The earliest outright reference to its use as a public house came in 1751, in Charles Deering’s History and Antiquities of Nottingham.’
James believes its claim to being the oldest inn was a marketing gimmick launched in 1909 by the landlord, George Ward.
PUBS WITH STRONG CLAIMS TO BEING THE OLDEST
These are seven of the pubs that James believes have genuine claims to being one of the oldest – if not the oldest – in Britain
The George Inn, Norton St Philip, Somerset
THE CLAIM – 1397
The George’s website claims that it has ‘a history dating back to 1397’, and is ‘one of Britain’s oldest taverns’.
IS IT TRUE? Absolutely. The George Inn, says James, has a strong claim for being the oldest pub in Britain.
He writes: ‘Is The George the oldest public house in the country? Possibly maybe.
The George Inn, says James, has a strong claim for being the oldest pub in Britain
Stylistically, parts of the building have been dated to the late 14th century
‘The large structure commands one of the most impressive street fronts of any medieval inn.
‘Archaeological surveyors of the building in the 1980s agreed that this large inn was established as a hospitium for Hinton Priory, located two miles to the north of Norton St Philip.
‘It held charters for two annual fairs – the first granted in 1255 with another transferred from the priory to the village in 1345. The inn was established as a commercial enterprise that acted as a guesthouse, warehouse, and wool exchange.
Timbers that form the structure of The George Inn have been dated to the year 1430
Architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner described The George as ‘remarkable’
‘Stylistically, the stone-built components of the front range have been dated to the late 14th century.
‘Dendrochronology [the scientific study of tree rings] has dated the felling of the wood for the north facade to the summer of 1430, while that of the roof structure was felled between the spring of 1430 and the winter of 1431-1432.’
James further notes that the architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner described The George, a Grade II listed building, as ‘one of the most remarkable medieval inns in England’.
The Bull Hotel, Ludlow, Shropshire
On the front wall of The Bull there is a marker explaining that it has ‘been an inn since the 15th century’
THE CLAIM – AN INN SINCE THE 15TH CENTURY
The Bull Hotel makes no claims about its antiquity on its website, but there is a marking on the front wall explaining that The Bull ‘has been an inn since the 15th century’ and that ‘the remains of an earlier roof dating from 1350 still survive in the main part of the building’.
IS IT TRUE? The Bull could tell a lot more about its history on its website – because, according to James, it really is one of Britain’s oldest inns.
He explains in his tome that the front facade, rebuilt after a fire in 1795, contains traces of a roof structure ‘with rows of very fine, pointed four-footed wind brackets’ that stylistically date from the 14th century’.
James added that more research would be needed to determine whether The Bull Hotel predated The George Inn.
Henry Tudor Inn, Shrewsbury
The woodwork in the Henry Tudor Inn dates back to the year 1426
The Henry Tudor Inn “was probably built as a mixed-use commercial venture – including a brewhouse and taproom – for Shrewsbury MP Hugh Wygan,” writes James
THE CLAIM – DATES BACK TO 1429
Owner Joule’s Brewery claims the pub has a ‘carbon-dated origin of 1429’.
IS IT TRUE? Yes, that’s it.
James writes: ‘The front of the property is a tree ring dating from 1430-31 and was probably built as a multi-use commercial venture – including a brewhouse and taproom – for Shrewsbury MP Hugh Wygan.
‘The southern mountain range, where the current bar is located, has a slightly earlier felling date, 1426.’
Visit henrytudorinn.com.
The New Inn, Gloucester
The timber used to build The New Inn dates back to the year 1432
James says in Historic Building Mythbusting that The New Inn has ‘incredible significance’ architecturally
THE CLAIM – DATE FROM THE 14TH CENTURY
The Facebook page as The New Inn claims it is ’14th century’ and the ‘oldest galleried inn in the UK’.
IS IT TRUE? Yes.
James writes: ‘Dendrochronology of the roof structures of the front and northern range has given a felling date of 1432.’
He adds that the building’s ‘incredible significance’ was appreciated by architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, who noted that ‘few inns in England can be so old and retain so much of their original character’.
George Hotel, Dorchester-on-Thames
James writes of The George Hotel: ‘Most authorities agree that this half-timbered complex has its origins around 1500’
James notes that some elements of The George Hotel could even date from the mid-15th century
Stylistically, The King’s Head in Aylesbury dates from 1450
THE CLAIM – DATE FROM THE 15TH CENTURY
The website says: ‘The George is a striking, idyllic coaching inn from the 15th century.’
IS IT TRUE? Yes. James writes: ‘Most authorities agree that this half-timbered complex has its origins around 1500.’
However, he claims that some of the architecture suggests it could be even older – perhaps the mid-15th century. “Dendrochronology could be the key,” he adds.
The King’s Head, Aylesbury
THE CLAIM – MADE IN 1455
The website of the pub says that ‘this old inn dates back to 1455’.
IS IT TRUE? Yes. James explains that stylistically it dates back to 1450.
GGeorge and Pilgrims Inn, Glastonbury
James is convinced that the George and Pilgrims Inn in Glastonbury dates back to between 1461 and 1483
THE CLAIM – ‘HISTORIC’
The Facebook page for George and Pilgrims Inn makes no mention of its founding, although its Facebook page describes it as a ‘lovingly restored historic building’.
IS IT TRUE? It is certainly historic. James writes: ‘On the entrance line is a carved shield of Edward IV and the initials of John Selwood, Abbot of Glastonbury from 1457 to 1493. We can probably narrow the dating of the building to the period after Edward IV’s accession to the throne in 1461 and before his death in 1483.’
Myth busting of historic buildings – Uncovering Folklore, History and Archeology by James Wright is available now (£20, The History Press). To learn more about James, visit him Tweet. And for information about his Mythbusting book tour, which runs until December 11, visit triskeleheritage.triskelepublishing.com/mythbustingtour.
