Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem |
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The front of the pub in 2013
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| General information | |
| Location | 1 Brewhouse Yard |
| Town or city | Nottingham |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 52°56′57″N 1°09′09″W / 52.94930°N 1.15260°W |
| Completed | c. 1650–60 |
| Designations | |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Designated: | 11 August 1952 |
| Reference #: | 1271192 |
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is a very old building in Nottingham, England. It's a special kind of building called a Grade II listed public house, which is another name for a pub. This pub is famous because it claims to have opened way back in 1189! However, there are no old papers to prove this exact date.
The building is built right against a huge rock called Castle Rock. Nottingham Castle sits on top of this rock. Inside the pub, there are cool caves carved out of the soft rock. People think these caves were once used to make beer for the castle a long, long time ago.
What's in a Name?
The name "Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem" sounds a bit funny today, right? The earliest time we know this name was used for the pub was in 1799. Before that, people believe it was called "The Pilgrim." We have records of it being called "The Pilgrim" in 1751.
The current name probably comes from the idea that people traveling to Jerusalem (like Crusaders or pilgrims) might have stopped here. Some parts of the name can be confusing:
- "Ye Olde" actually means "the old."
- "Trip" here means a stop or a break during a journey, not the whole journey itself.
If you're from Nottingham, you might hear people call it "the Trip" for short.
Is It Really the Oldest Pub?
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is one of several pubs that say they are the oldest in England. Other pubs making the same claim include Ye Olde Salutation Inn and The Bell Inn, both also in Nottingham. Another famous one is Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans, near London.
The pub claims it was started in 1189 AD. This was the year Richard the Lionheart became king. It was also when Pope Gregory VIII asked for a Third Crusade to the Holy Land. But, as we said, there are no documents to confirm this exact opening date.
What we do know is that the caves inside the rock were probably used to make beer for Nottingham Castle. These caves might even be as old as the castle itself, which was built around 1067.
The parts of the building you see today were most likely built between 1650 and 1660. However, an old map from 1610 by John Speed shows that a building was already there before that. By 1751, the building was definitely being used as an inn called The Pilgrim. The name Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem was first written down in 1799.
