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Ye Olde Salutation Inn is a
public houseA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
dating from around 1240 that lays claim (along with Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem Inn and
The Bell InnThe Bell Inn is a Grade II listed public house dating from around 1437 that lays claim to being the oldest in Nottingham.-Foundation and early history:...
) to being the oldest in
NottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
.
History
The current building was constructed as a workshop for a tanner with living accommodation above in 1240 on the site of an old alehouse known as
The Archangel Gabriel Salutes the Virgin Mary. The name led local historian J. Holland Walker to speculate a connection with the local Carmelite
monasteryMonastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
but no documentary has been found to support this.
Borough records from 1440 record a private dwelling belonging to John Alastre on the site.
During the
English Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
(1642-1646) both factions established recruiting rooms in the Inn. Following the Puritan victory the authorities objected to the religious implications of the sign and the Inn was renamed
Soldier and Citizen. The original name was restored along with the Monarchy in 1660.
An investigation by the
Thoroton Excavation SocietyThe Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire is Nottinghamshire’s principal historical and archaeological society.It was established in 1897, and takes its name from Dr Robert Thoroton who published the first county history of Nottinghamshire in 1677...
in 1937 dated the caves to the 9th century and concluded that they were part of a Saxon farm later used for servants accommodation and brewing.
Extensions to the pub in 1966 included the hanging of a wrought iron hand outside that was stolen that same night.
The Inn was featured along with its rivals Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem Inn and
The Bell InnThe Bell Inn is a Grade II listed public house dating from around 1437 that lays claim to being the oldest in Nottingham.-Foundation and early history:...
in a 1998 episode of the
Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
TV series
History HuntersHistory Hunters is a British television series that aired on Channel 4 from 1998 to 1999. Presented by the actor Tony Robinson, the show was a spin-off of the archaeology series Time Team, first broadcast on Channel 4 in 1994...
which used records, building architecture and timbers, and local legends to decide which was truly the oldest.
External links