Tree-ring analysis dates Somerset inn’s origins to around 1430

Historic England archaeologist James Wright says England’s oldest pub claims stretching back 1,000 years are unsupported by evidence. His research identifies the George Inn in Norton St Philip, Somerset, as the oldest, with evidence that it has operated continuously as an inn since about 1430.

Wright used architectural research and tree-ring dating to estimate when the inn’s timbers were felled, which closely indicates when the building was constructed. He says the George was established by monks from nearby Hinton Priory, while many rival claims appear to be modern marketing: Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, for example, began as a monastic dovecote around 1400 and is documented as a pub only from the early 19th century. Wright found no pubs in the Domesday Book and estimates there are only 12 to 16 genuine medieval contenders.