Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem

Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is a public house in Nottingham, England, built against Castle Rock beneath Nottingham Castle. The building sits on soft sandstone that has been hollowed into caves. It shares the rock with other pubs that also claim great age. The pub says it began in 1189, the year Richard the Lionheart became king, though no proof survives. Behind the bar, the caves may once have brewed ale for the castle, perhaps since its founding in 1067. The oldest parts of the present structure date from 1650 to 1660, though a map from 1610 already shows a building on the site. By 1751 it was an inn called The Pilgrim, later bought by William Standford. The name “Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem” first appears in 1799. Inside, low ceilings and uneven floors give the rooms a crooked charm. Stone steps lead down to the caves where barrels once stood. From the windows and doorways, visitors look straight up at the castle above. The pub’s name hangs above the entrance, worn by centuries of travellers.