Dating Britain's oldest pub that is still serving today is very difficult – although fun. As with most activity surrounding drinking establishments, boasts and legends champion hard fact.
The Bingley Arms in West Yorkshire is reputed to have served ale on the site since 953 but the current building is Georgian. The Old Ferry Inn in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, claims the sixth century yet the building we see today is many centuries younger.
Other pubs are located in medieval buildings that only became inns at a later date – such as The Royal George in Cottingham, Northampton. Built in the 13th century as a private house, it only became an inn 500 years later.
A contender for the oldest pub in London is The Spaniards Inn in Hampstead. This rickety-old building dates back to 1585, when Elizabeth I was on the throne.
The Sheep Heid Inn is known as the oldest pub in Scotland, having been established in 1360 so that could be a contender for oldest in Britain
Likewise similar evidence comes from Somerset. The George Inn in Norton St Philip was built as a tavern in the 14th century and is still serving beer today. Could it be Britain's oldest? Let's continue this over a pint...
