Thought some of the Great Rabble would find this interesting:

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/...JWOvsqIlhd4jcs

Here's another claimant to the title, one to which I have actually paid a visit :)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ye_Olde_Trip_to_Jerusalem

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Originally Posted by Father Bill

Thought some of the Great Rabble would find this interesting:

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/...JWOvsqIlhd4jcs

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Sent this to a friend this morning, he wasn’t real happy saying he had went to the “Brazen Head” and was told IT was the oldest (circa 1198), he thanked me sarcastically and said, “now I have to go back to Ireland” :D

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Originally Posted by Me cousin Jack

Sent this to a friend this morning, he wasn’t real happy saying he had went to the “Brazen Head” and was told IT was the oldest (circa 1198), he thanked me sarcastically and said, “now I have to go back to Ireland” :D

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Bless your friend's heart. I hope the trip isn't taxing on his sensibilities.

Wow! Even beats Dumfries with its 400 year old pubs.
The Globe, established 1610
The Hole i the Wa, established 1620

https://photos.francisfrith.com/frit...1921_70484.jpg

My native city, St. Albans, about 20 miles North of London, is one of the contenders for oldest pub. Ye Old Fighting Cocks is certainly very pretty and once a pigeon house. The city emblem is the Saltire, which is quite something for England.

Now that's surprising , I would have thought the world's oldest pub may have dated back to right after the origin of alcohol . :)

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Originally Posted by MacGumerait

Now that's surprising , I would have thought the world's oldest pub may have dated back to right after the origin of alcohol . :)

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Bloody good point.

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Originally Posted by MacGumerait

......I would have thought the world's oldest pub may have dated back to right after the origin of alcohol . ..:)

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That would depend upon how long the creators of alcohol stayed pickled, & how potent the brew may have been.

Since brewers and pubs weren't realy licenced back in those days, this is a claim without an answer.

Many women brewed beer as part of their way of life, if they then sold it, yes there were quality laws, for which the beer had to be tested By men... So unless the lord /laird forbade it anyone could brew for sale.

The classification of a pub is interesting as originally they were just a room in someones house. Once licencing came in, there were different classes of licenced premises in dfferent areas of the country such as ,
A licenced room,
A pub,
A Inn,
A hotel,
Some could not sell spirits.

There are still a few licenced rooms in the UK but not many.

However the licencing laws in the 4 countries of the UK have always been very different. In the last 20 years most of the laws have been heavily revised, now for instance it's basically whether you have an "On licence " drink on the premises, or an "Off licence " drink off the premises.

You can of course have a personnal licence to sell alcohol, which means you can sell alcohol anywhere (with planning permission for that building).

So to say you are the oldest pub, is was the house used for brewing / selling back when the building was built. Most are in much more modern premisies on the site so does that qualify?

If you bought a site today put up a building on it and sold alcohol, and then found it was used as a pub in 1200 could you claim the title?