Editing Pub (section)

==={{anchor|Oldest}} Oldest===

A number of pubs claim to be the oldest surviving establishment in the United Kingdom, although in several cases original buildings have been demolished and replaced on the same site. Others are ancient buildings that were used for purposes other than as a pub previously in their history. Some notable claims include:

* [[Ye Olde Fighting Cocks]] in [[St Albans]], [[Hertfordshire]], held the [[Guinness World Record]] for the oldest pub in England for many years, as it is an 11th-century structure on an eighth-century site; however, the record was withdrawn in 2000 after review, and the category was deemed impossible to verify.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last=Guy |first=Jack |date=7 February 2022 |title=After more than 1,000 years, this English pub is closing its doors |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/ye-olde-fighting-cocks-scli-intl-gbr/index.html |access-date=7 February 2022 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> 
* [[Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem]] in [[Nottingham]] has been claimed to be the "oldest inn in England" with a founding date of 1189, but this relies on the fact it is constructed on the site of [[Nottingham Castle]]'s former brewhouse; the present building actually dates from around 1650.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.triptojerusalem.com/the-legend-of-ye-olde-trip-to-jerusalem |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091016082156/http://www.triptojerusalem.com/the-legend-of-ye-olde-trip-to-jerusalem |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 October 2009 |title=The Legend of Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem |publisher=Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem |access-date=24 June 2010 }}</ref> 
* The Nags Head in [[Burntwood]], [[Staffordshire]], only dates back to the 16th century, but an (inaccurate) claim is still frequently made that a pub on the site was mentioned in the [[Domesday Book]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://opendomesday.org/places |access-date=18 April 2019 |title=Domesday book }}{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
* There is archaeological evidence that parts of the foundations of [[the Old Ferry Boat Inn]] in [[Holywell, Cambridgeshire|Holywell]] may date to AD 460, and there is evidence of ale being served as early as AD 560, but definitive dating evidence of the main building has yet to be established.<ref>
{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.fatbadgers.co.uk/Britain/old.htm
 |title       = Oldest Inn in Britain
 |publisher   = fatbadgers.co.uk
 |access-date  = 29 August 2009
|url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090819074647/http://www.fatbadgers.co.uk/britain/old.htm
 |archive-date = 19 August 2009}}
</ref>
* [[The Bingley Arms]] in [[Bardsey, West Yorkshire]], is claimed to date to 905&nbsp;AD, but the current building only dates from the 18th century.
* [[Ye Olde Salutation Inn]] in Nottingham dates from 1240, although the building served as a tannery and a private residence before becoming an inn sometime before the [[English Civil War]]. 
* The [[Adam and Eve, Norwich|Adam and Eve]] in [[Norwich]] was first recorded in 1249, when it was an alehouse for the workers constructing nearby [[Norwich Cathedral]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Adam and Eve pub Bishopgate, Norwich |first=Peter |last=Sargent |newspaper=Eastern Daily Press |url=http://www.edp24.co.uk/norfolk-life/norfolk-history/1_adam_and_eve_1_213829 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101019052321/http://www.edp24.co.uk/norfolk-life/norfolk-history/1_adam_and_eve_1_213829 |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 October 2010 }}</ref> 
* [[Ye Olde Man & Scythe]] in [[Bolton]], Greater Manchester, is mentioned by name in a charter of 1251, but the current building is dated 1631. Its cellars are the only surviving part of the older structure.