The claim
A stone village inn near Bardsey's Anglo-Saxon church that has long billed itself as Britain's oldest pub, dating its story to 953. The building itself carries a 1738 datestone, but inside there are big fireplaces, a Dutch oven and hiding places said to have sheltered Catholic priests. Today it is a busy food-led local with cask ale and a garden.
What the records show
Historic England's listing and its 2022 'oldest pub' blog find a mid-18th-century building with a 1738 datestone and no evidence for a 10th- or 11th-century inn; no pubs appear in Domesday. The 953 date is unsourced tradition. 1738 is a building date, not a documented licence.
| Year | What | Source |
|---|---|---|
| AD 953 | Claimed founding | The pub |
| c.1738 | Present building | Building fabric |
| 1738 | First record of a drinking house here | Historic England |
What to look for inside
- Guinness-style 'oldest pub in Britain' claim to 953 AD, disputed by Historic England
- 1738 datestone
- Priest holes reputedly hidden in the chimney
- Registered Asset of Community Value
Visiting
The Bingley Arms is in Bardsey, England, at 37 Church Lane, Bardsey, Leeds LS17 9DR. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
- www.bingleyarms.com/index
- camra.org.uk/pubs/bingley-arms-bardsey-177414
- historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1313185
- heritagecalling.com/2022/12/22/what-is-the-oldest-pub-or-inn-in-england/
- triskeleheritage.triskelepublishing.com/2023/07/02/mediaeval-mythbusting-blog-23-the-bingley-arms/
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bingley_Arms
- ratings.food.gov.uk/business/323492
- www.blunham.com/big/eng/YKS/WRY/Bardsey/Bardsey22Dry.html
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Sept 2026
Run this pub? There is a badge for it
Free to put on your own site, no permission needed. It shows what the pub claims and what the records support, and it changes when the data does.
How to use it, and how to change what it says — if you have a document we have not seen, we would like to read it.
.jpg){kind=link}