Experts have named the oldest pub in England, ending years of debate.
Historic England says the George Inn is the country’s oldest licensed boozer.
The pub in Norton St Phillip in Somerset has been providing hospitality for more than 600 years.
Building archaeologist Dr James Wright said that by studying documents, The George Inn can be proved to be the oldest continually licensed pub in England.
In a post on Historic England’s Facebook page, Dr Wright, standing outside The George Inn, said: ‘Most of what you’ve heard about the oldest pubs in England are myths.
”Now there are many, many claims to be the oldest pub in the country, and yet so few of them actually have evidence to back up those claims.
‘To get to the real evidence of these buildings we’ve to look at the fabric, and we’ve got to look at the story of the people who actually built them, and that all leads us to the village of Norton St Philip in Somerset.’
The architectural history of The George Inn’s stone and timber suggests that the building has been in continuous service for over 600 years, he said.
”The George Inn was set up in the 14th Century by the monks of nearby Hinton Priory, and they did this as a savvy money-making exercise, and we know this from the paperwork,’ Dr Wright said.
”The final piece of the puzzle at The George Inn is tree ring dating, and that helps us to try and understand scientifically exactly how old the timbers are.
”And because we know Medieval carpenters didn’t muck around at all and they would fell the timber when it was green and build almost immediately afterwards, the actual date of felling gives us the near date of construction. ‘And in terms of the timber work…we know that this dates from between 1430 and 1432.
”We’re not guessing at its age – now that’s the difference between a local legend and a national treasure.’
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