Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem
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Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem is one of 20 public houses in Great Britain (and one of three in Nottingham) which claim to be the oldest drinking establishment in the country. Sited at the foot of Castle Rock in Nottingham's city centre the pub's painted sign states that it was established in 1189 AD. However, due to a lack of accurate file keeping in the Middle Ages there is no documentation to verify this date.
The pub, simply called The Trip by locals, local legend says it takes its name from the 12th Century Crusades to the Holy Land. Legend also has it that knights who answered the calls of Richard I to join the crusades stopped off at this watering hole for a pint on their way to Jerusalem. It is even claimed that Richard himself frequented the pub although this is probably merely legend as the king spent little time in the country.
The pub is famous for its caves, carved out of the soft sandstone rock which the building backs onto. These large airy caverns now make many of the pubs drinking rooms. There is also a network of caves beneath the building originally used as a brewery but now used only for storage.
These caves seem to date to around the time of the construction of the castle in 1068 and were used as a brewhouse. However, the main building today is built on the foundations of earlier constructions and is only circa three hundred years old. The pub may take its name from a religious sect called the Philadelphians who used to meet in brewhouse yard.
The word "trip" in the pub's name does not refer to a journey but is from the old English meaning of the word which meant a stop during a journey - hence a break in the journey to the Holy Land.
Another interesting feature of the Trip is the cursed galleon, a small wooden ornament ship. It's claimed that people who have cleaned it have all met a mysterious death. Superstitious landlords have refused to allow anyone to dust the ship over the years allowing inches of thick grime to build up on it. The galleon is now encased in glass as previously large clumps of dust would fall off into unsuspecting drinkers' pints.
