A group of pub reviewers ‘one of the oldest pubs in England’ and they were blown away by its history – the Grade II-listed building claims to date back to 1189
The pub has been described as one of the oldest and best pubs in the UK (Image: Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Pub fans have shared their verdict on “one of the best pubs in England“, and were absolutely staggered by its history. Known under the handle @thosepubguys on social media, the group travel the country , sampling pubs and rating them online.
In a latest clip, they descended upon Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham, prompting them to wonder: “Is this the oldest pub in England?” Their Instagram caption declared: “This pub ranks 2nd in our list of best pubs in the country, and you can see why! There is so so so much history. It is literally built into the side of a cliff with secret tunnels to Nottingham Castle above it!”
During the footage, they guide viewers through the establishment and its passageways, recounting legends and historical tales.
The Grade II-listed premises is believed to trace back to 1189, though certain records indicate it might have been founded several centuries afterwards.
According to History Hit: “The pub’s name derives from King Richard the Lionheart and his men gathering there before journeying to Jerusalem in 1189 AD.”
“It was also said to be a local hideout for the legendary outlaw, Robin Hood. Indeed, the word ‘trip’ in the name is thought to refer to a stop in a journey, rather than the journey itself, marking out the pub as somewhere people would stop at on a long pilgrimage, for instance.”
This distinctive watering hole features a compact cave network within, hewn from the sandstone rock. Connected to Nottingham Castle, the tunnel network has served as a clandestine route in and out of the fortress for hundreds of years.
The statement continues: “In one of the pub’s upstairs buildings is a small model of a wooden ship, known as the cursed galleon.
“It is said that a number of people who cleaned the ship all met untimely and unexplained deaths, so landlords have since refused to let anyone clean it, and have instead put the ship into a glass cabinet.
“Elsewhere, the pub houses the ‘pregnancy chair’, an old chair which was said to increase a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant when she sat in it.”
Reacting to their video, one viewer commented: “Always wanted to visit this pub.”
Someone else added: “My favourite city pub until I moved away.”
A third person said: “I’ve only just realised I’ve never been to Nottingham! Need to fix that, looks amazing.”
Another viewer added: “That’s really interesting, steeped in history.”