Five: Five of Britain’s oldest pubs

The pub, officially known as the Mansion, is an everyday British institution, a place to relax after a long day at work, watch football, and spend the night with the kids. When someone says, "Would you like to go to the pub?" they have already thought of a place where, as the saying goes, "everyone knows your name."

Britain's pub culture began on the road introduced by the Romans, This requires building an inn or weary traveler. Many of Britain's oldest pubs were originally coaching inns and, in some cases, still offer accommodation. Here are the oldest pubs in Britain. The distinction of being the oldest pub is hotly debated among these pubs, and the paucity of historical documentation attests to this. Old Ferry (St Ives, Cambridgeshire) - Reported date: AD 560.

The Old Ferry is a good example of a pub that started life as an inn and still operates as such. Although there are no documents indicating when the inn began, there is a record indicating that wine was served here as early as 560 AD, and the foundations are reported to be another century older. Visitors to St Ives can book one of the hotel's seven rooms or mix with locals and other tourists in the bars and restaurants. Ancient Cockfighting (St. Alban, Hertfordshire) - Date reported: AD 793.

The current Guinness World Record holder, the building dates back to the 11th century, but the site dates back more than three hundred years, with its foundations dating to approximately AD 793. Tunnels under the original pub site lead to St Alban's Cathedral (then St Alban's Abbey) and connected to the cellars where the monks stored the beer they brewed. When the monasteries were dissolved in 1539, the pub moved to an old pigeon house. It was known as the Round House until the name was changed to reflect the popular sport of cockfighting in the 18th century. 3. The Eagle and the Child (Sow on The Wold, Gloucesershire) – Reported date: 947 AD,

Not to be confused with the Oxford pub frequented by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, this The pub began as the Eagle and Child Inn in the mid-10th century and is one of the hotels still in operation. Although the hotel is now called the Royal Hotel, the bar is located on the first floor. Like eagles and cockfights, eagles and children also engage in blood sports such as cockfights, as well as bear baiting, where various animals (and sometimes people) are put into pits to fight bears. Stow is also claimed in the world to be the site of the last battle of the English Civil War. 4. Skirid Mounain Inn (Abergavenny, Wales) - Reported date: 1110 AD.

The first recorded mention of Skirid dates back to 1110 AD. In this account, two men were tried in a bar and hanged for robbery and sheep-stealing. Some pubs like Skirid served not only as inns and chains, but also as courts and places of execution. It is reported that as many as 180 criminals were tried and executed before the end of Cromwell's Rebellion. Historically, rebel Owyn Grindelwald rallied his troops on the cobbles in front of a pub before leading a raid into a pro-English village and launching war against King Henry IV. Throughout this bloody history, several ghosts are said to haunt the hotel, and it has been featured in a number of paranormal TV shows. 5. Journey to Old Jerusalem (Nottingham) - Date reported: 1189 AD,

Known as the Journey to the locals, this pub is reported to have originally been an inn and resting place for Crusaders on their way to the Holy Land Land ("journey" is an old word for resting place). Part of the pub consists of a series of sandstone caves, including the back room and barrel storage. Like the ski resort, the pubs are said to be haunted by ghosts, with one featuring a model of a galleon that is said to be cursed. Legend has it that anyone who ever cleaned a boat was met with death by sterilization. There is also an antique chair that is said to make women more likely to get pregnant while sitting in it.