Could Somerset pub be the oldest in England?

Published24 October 2026

Being England's oldest pub is a title claimed by a number of establishments across the country.

Pubs in Nottingham, St Albans and Lincolnshire have all, in the past, claimed to be that very establishment - but one pub in Somerset may have a stronger claim than its rivals.

The George Inn, in Norton St Philip, south of Bath, is the focus of that elusive claim of being the country's oldest pub - thanks to some investigative work by Historic England.

Buildings archaeologist Dr James Wright said science "pinpoints the archaeological development of the George Inn" to about 1430.

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The pub itself is Grade I listed and was constructed as a store for wool for the nearby Hinton Charterhouse.

It would also welcome travellers who attended the annual wool fairs which were held from the 13th Century until Victorian times.

Samuel Pepys (of Great Fire of London diarist fame) stopped there in 1668, describing it as "a very old house" and it also served as the headquarters for the Duke of Monmouth during the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685.

Its history then gets a little more grizzly because after the Duke's defeat, the pub became a court room for 'hanging judge' George Jeffreys who infamously condemned local rebels during the Bloody Assizes.

But none of that helps to verify the claim to the title of England's oldest pub - so what does?

Wright said, put simply, none of the other pubs possessed the archaeological evidence, archival references or scientific data "to actually back up the claims".

He said: "It's all about carefully placing all of the evidence together and working out in what order the real claimants go - and The George came out with the crown."

Pub historian Charo Havermans agreed with that assertion.

"The strongest claims are when the history meets the science," she said.

"For example, tree ring dating can give us an idea of how old the timber or the wood used is.

"What we know about those times is that people wouldn't dilly dally so if they've cut down a tree, they're going to use it then," Havermans said.

"It's a pretty accurate way of knowing when the building materials were used to create that structure."

Havermans also said historical records such as licensing data, local maps, or the Domesday Book could help date a pub.

However, we may never truly know where the oldest boozers are - a sentiment reinforced by Guinness World Records which has "rested" the accolade for the oldest pub since 2000, "when it became clear that it was not possible to verify it in full".

A spokeswoman for Guinness World Records said it was "never able to state definitively which was the oldest pub in the country, since the age and historical usage of buildings is, in many cases, uncertain".

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Related topics

Historic England

Listed buildings

History

Pubs

Bath

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