Which is
really England’s oldest pub? Tree-ring dating helps settle debate
Historic
England archaeologist says some inns’ claims to date back 1,000 years are
inaccurate and oldest is from 1430
Fri 23
Oct 2026 18.17 CEST
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/oct/23/oldest-pubs-inns-historic-england-archaeologist
With
their low ceilings, timber beams and roaring fires, many of England’s inns lay
claim to being the oldest in the land and to have been visited by Vikings and
Saxons.
But an
archaeologist who worked on behalf of Historic England says not one of the more
than two dozen pubs that make this claim is being accurate.
While
many claim origins dating back 1,000 years, Dr James Wright, a buildings
archaeologist, said it was difficult to verify whether any pubs were built and
used as inns or ale houses and kept in continuous use prior to the 1400s.
After
painstaking investigation, including tree-ring dating on the wooden beams of
pubs – a process known as dendrochronology – Wright named the George Inn, of
Norton St Philip, Somerset, as the oldest pub in England. It has fabrics dating
from the late 14th century.
Inside
the George, set up in the 14th century by the monks of Hinton Priory.
Photograph: PR
He told
the Guardian: “Not one of the claimants to be the oldest pub (and there are
over two dozen of them) are even vaguely close to being so in reality.”
Of the
George, he said: “The architectural history of the George Inn’s stone and
timber suggests that this building has been in continuous service for over 600
years.” He said the pub was set up in the 14th century by the monks of nearby
Hinton Priory.
Tree-ring
dating had helped “to understand scientifically exactly how old the timbers
are,” he said. “Because we know medieval carpenters didn’t muck around at all
and they would fell the timber when it was green and build almost immediately
afterwards, the actual date of felling gives us the near date of construction.”
Ye Olde
Fighting Cocks in St Albans, Hertfordshire, claims to have been established
around AD800, and the Bingley Arms in Bardsey, West Yorkshire, declares on its
site: “It’s the original English pub – officially the oldest in Britain –
dating back over 1,000 years to a time when Vikings were conquering parts of
the country.” Similarly, the Royal Standard in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire,
boasts that it was a favoured watering hole of King Alfred the Great’s West
Saxons in around AD880.
The Royal
Standard in Beaconsfield claims to have been frequented by King Alfred the
Great’s West Saxons in the ninth century. Photograph: Nathaniel Noir/Alamy
Wright
said most of these claims seemed to be “modern marketing strategies”. “The
Fighting Cocks is often said to date to AD793. This date was probably not
arrived at until 1926 when it appeared on a postcard. Prior to that, it was
speculated to date to 1030, 770 and 672,” he said. “There does not seem to be a
basis in reality for any of those claims. Instead, the building started as a
monastic dovecote, built around 1400. The earliest date when we can say for
sure it was active as a public house is the first decade of the 19th century.”
Many of
the pubs claiming to be the oldest say they were mentioned in the Domesday
Book, but the historian said: “There are no pubs mentioned – at all – in the
Domesday Book, so any pub claiming to be in it is having you on.”
Wright
added: “The claims are likely to originate less in folklore and more in canny
marketing strategies by landlords, tenants, breweries and pub companies. The
claims potentially rely upon the public not being aware of how to accurately
date historic buildings.”
The
King’s Head in Shrewsbury is a serious contender for the title of one of
England’s oldest pubs. Photograph: Nick Hatton/Alamy
He provided the Guardian with a list of the pubs he believes to be the oldest in the country. His methodology was to determine that it was purpose-built as a public house, that it had been in continuous service and that there was archaeological, archival or dendrochronological evidence for the existence of significant primary fabric remaining from the original construction.
“I did
consider buildings which had been converted and others which had periodically
changed in land use,” he said. “Even with those taken into consideration, there
are only about 12 to 16 genuine contenders which have been doing trade since
the medieval period. Of these, the oldest date to the 14th and 15th centuries.”
Revealed:
Wright’s list of oldest pubs
- George Inn, Norton St Philip,
Somerset: late 14th century and 1430-32.
- Bull Hotel, Ludlow, Shropshire:
14th and 15th centuries.
- King’s Head, Shrewsbury,
Shropshire: 1426, 1430-31.
- New Inn, Gloucester,
Gloucestershire: 1432.
- White Hart Inn, Hook, Hampshire:
1419-51.
- George Hotel,
Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire: mid 15th century.
- Angel Inn, Andover, Hampshire:
1445-55.
- Kings Head, Aylesbury,
Buckinghamshire: 1445-55.
- Angel, Grantham, Lincolnshire:
circa 1450.
- George and Pilgrims Inn,
Glastonbury, Somerset: 1461-83.
- Saracen’s Head, Southwell,
Nottinghamshire: 1460s.
- George Hotel, Odiham, Hampshire:
1486-87.
This
article was amended on 23 October 2026. A previous version said the Saracens’s
Head is in Lincolnshire; it is in Nottinghamshire.
