The claim
Wedged against the sandstone cliff beneath Nottingham Castle, the Trip is England's most famous claimant to the title of oldest inn. Its back rooms are carved straight into the rock, where caves once served the castle as a brewhouse. The 1189 crusader story is romance rather than record, but the atmosphere of smoke-darkened caverns and creaking panelling is entirely genuine.
What the records show
The 1189 is the pub's own, in black letters on the building and in print: the Greene King page for the house says its doors first opened in 1189, making it England's oldest surviving inn. No document supports it. Historic England notes the first reference to a pub here (as The Pilgrim) in 1751 and the Trip name by 1799; the standing building is mid-17th century, though the sandstone caves behind it are older. Historic England also traces the 'oldest pub in England' line to about 1910, when a landlord put up new signage.
| Year | What | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1189 | Claimed founding | The pub |
| c.1650 | Present building | Building fabric |
| 1751 | First record of a drinking house here | Historic England |
What to look for inside
- Rooms cut into the sandstone of Castle Rock
- Claims links to crusaders gathering for Richard I in 1189
- Part of Nottingham's long-running three-way 'oldest pub' dispute
Visiting
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is in Nottingham, England, at 1 Brewhouse Yard, Nottingham NG1 6AD. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ye_Olde_Trip_to_Jerusalem
- heritagecalling.com/2022/12/22/what-is-the-oldest-pub-or-inn-in-england/
- pubgallery.co.uk/2022/03/03/britains-ancient-pubs-or-are-they/
- www.greeneking.co.uk/pubs/nottinghamshire/ye-olde-trip-to-jerusalem
- archive.org/details/datebookremarka00suttgoog
- ratings.food.gov.uk/business/217277
Then and now
Photographed about 1962, and today. The same frontage in 1962, when the boards read “the oldest home brewed inn in England”.
Photo: P L Chadwick · licence
Photo: Chris Andrews · licenceKnow 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.
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