The claim
In the hamlet where George Bernard Shaw lived for decades, the Brocket Arms is a beamed, timber-framed inn with inglenooks, log fires and a big garden. Tradition says it began in 1378 as quarters for monks serving the old church; the fabric looks early Tudor, and the first licence reference is 1694. It was Shaw's local for over forty years.
What the records show
Nobody states 1378. The pub's own site says the inn was built in the 14th century and was the monastic quarters for the Norman church until the Reformation, but gives no year; CAMRA reads the frame as 16th-century and records the first reference to a licence in 1694; Historic England, as Wikipedia relays, dates the timber frame to probably the early 16th century while noting that an earlier date has been claimed, without saying by whom. So the century is the pub's and the year is nobody's.
| Year | What | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1378 | Claimed founding | No published claimant |
| 1694 | First record of a drinking house here | British History Online |
What to look for inside
- George Bernard Shaw's local (Shaw's Corner is nearby)
- Said to be haunted by a priest or monk
- King-post roof and 17th-century inglenook
- House beer Brocket Ale brewed by Tring Brewery
Visiting
The Brocket Arms is in Ayot St Lawrence, England, at Hill Farm Lane, Ayot St Lawrence, Welwyn AL6 9BT. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
- camra.org.uk/pubs/brocket-arms-ayot-st-lawrence-192311
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brocket_Arms
- www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/herts/vol3/pp59-63
- ratings.food.gov.uk/business/182746
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Sept 2026
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