For my husband’s birthday this year he decided he wanted to do a pub crawl of some of Nottingham’s historic pubs. He got insanely lucky with the weather as it was around 30 degrees when we headed into the City Centre just after Noon.
Our starting point was Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem which claims to be the oldest inn in the world, dating back to 1189. I have lived in Nottingham for over 30 years and only visited this pub for the first time last year, mainly because it does get extremely busy so you have to pick your time.
The Trip holds a unique position as it is built into the Castle Rock which is the rock that Nottingham Castle sits on top of. Next door are the Brewhouse Yard cottages which can be visited as part of the Nottingham Castle ticket. The cottages date back to the 17th Century and tell the story of 400 years of inhabitants and what their lives would have been like.
The pub itself is everything you would expect with little cubby holes, cave style seating areas and timber beams. Photos inside give you a glimpse of the history. There is a quite large outside seating area ruined slightly by the derelict building opposite. Its strange to think what the area would have been like 100 years ago never mind 1000 years ago!
The pub is currently operated by the Greene King brewery which is reasonable for gluten free options and also offers a couple of gluten free beers.
The Castle was our next stop, a couple of minutes walk from Ye Old Trip and set in the area just below the castle where the Robin Hood statue can be found. Photos with are a must!
Nottingham Castle itself was originally built in the 11th Century by William the Conqueror and at that time it would have resembled a more traditional castle rather than the mansion style house that can be seen today.
After centuries of battle, ruin and restoration William Cavendish, the Duke of Newcastle built his Ducal Palace, a fine Italianate style house. When it fell out of favour as a palace it was used as a boarding school for a short time. By 1831 the owner was the 4th duke of Newcastle, but he didn’t live in the house. After the duke voted against electoral reform that would have benefitted the people of Nottingham, rebellion broke out in the city. The castle was ransacked and burned to the ground.
The castle was abandoned for a long time before being renovated to become a Museum of Fine Art (the first in the country) in 1878 and would go on to become a popular museum for Nottingham and its community, celebrating the city’s industry and traditions.
The Castle Pub was designed by Mansfield born architect Watson Fothergill (the restaurant next door is named after him) who rose to prominence in the Victorian era. The building showcases his district gothic style and includes some stunning stained glass windows.
The pub is a cashless venue, which my husband was not overjoyed about but it is becoming more common in recent years. Seating indoors and outdoors. Another place with a gluten free Peroni so I was able to keep going without mixing my drinks.
From here we walked across Maid Marion Way and down St James Street (some memories of the 90’s here for me especially the fish and chip shop that was a regular after a night out around there). The Old Market Square was hosting the Nottingham Beach on the day of our visit and was full of families enjoying the sunshine.
We made our way to The Bell Inn which is the oldest pub in Nottingham. Note that the oldest pub is apparently different from the oldest Inn which is the title held by Ye Olde Trip.
The Bell Inn has several different areas to sit in and we were now three out of three for gluten free Peronis. I am usually a wine drinker, but these days three large wines would send me home to bed so I try to drink something less strong when I am out, particularly as we were planning on having more than three drinks. We chose a seat by the window where we could people watch. The Bell is another Greene King pub so has a small non gluten containing ingredients menu which is mainly steak and salads and does seem to have some crossover with the vegetarian menu, but nice to have the option. Window glasses have the date 1437 engraved into them giving an idea of its age. It is a grade II listed building.
We didn’t linger too long around the square as its not my favourite area for pubs. Honourable mention though, to the Dragon which is on the opposite side of road on Long Row, but we didn’t have time for this one today. The Dragon features a Scalextric track version of Nottingham City centre that you can race through. Race night are the first Tuesday of each month and cost £10 per person.
Pub number four was the Crosskeys, on Byard Lane/Fletcher Gate. This area is in a bit of disarray at the moment due to the closure and demolition of the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre however alongside Hockley (which deserves its own separate food and drink post!) it is still one of my favourite areas to visit.
The Cross Keys has recently been refurbished and looked stunning in the sunshine, with hanging baskets full of flowers all around the outside. The building dates back to the Victorian era of 1890 when the area was full of lace makers and traders who would have frequented this pub with its high ceilings and beautifully tiled bar.
Gluten free Peroni is available and there is a small food menu with a couple of gluten free fish options and steak.
We paused for lunch in Lagan which is in the Lace Market. I had a chicken Biryani and my husband opted for the 3 tsps for £15.95 deal. Excellent as always. You can read more about where to eat in Nottingham here.
After lunch we continued on to The Cock and Hoop a couple of doors down. This is now the official bar for the Lace Market Hotel next door however before it was taken over by the hotel it was known as the County Tavern. On a cold day there is often a real fire lit in here adding to its cosy feel.
No gluten free beer here although they did tell me that they usually do have some options but just didn’t have any at that time so always worth asking. Time to switch to Southern Comfort and Lemonade. After six drinks we decided we should perhaps be heading home!
A couple of other honourable mentions for places we often visit but didn’t today go to the Pitcher and Piano and the Cosy Club, both located in spectacular buildings that have an important place in the history of the city.
The Pitcher and Piano was formerly the High Pavement Chapel which is Grade II listed and was built around 1876, although there has been a chapel on this site since 1690. After is closure as a church in 1982 the building was re-purposed as the Lace Market Museum before becoming the Pitcher and Piano public house that we know today. The building boast some beautiful stained glass windows which look spectacular on a sunny day. You can see these close up from the upper floors of the building.
The Cosy Club on Victoria street was once the Reform Club which later became the Victoria Club and Casino where many a fortune was won and lost. The Casino operated from the 1960’s to 2005. The building is stunning with a large downstairs bar area – complete with huge chandeliers – and the dining room upstairs. There are also a couple of smaller rooms where you can sit and have a drink or hire privately for special occasions. We are huge fans of the Cosy Club and Loungers chains as they offer good gluten free options in most of the cities that we visit regularly.
compass and coaster 
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