Pub facts and trivia

Pubs have been central to British culture for centuries, but in recent years they’ve been struggling due to the current economic climate and cost of living issues. At Everywhen, we provide specialist insurance for pubs and restaurants, and we know just how important they are to their local communities.

In this article, we’ve pulled together some interesting facts about pubs that may inspire you to take a trip to support your local sometime soon.

Did you know?

The term “pub” is an abbreviation of “public house”, which is derived from the Anglo-Latin word “publicus”, meaning a place that’s open to everyone¹.
The public house dates back to Roman times. There were inns called ‘tabernaes’ along the roadsides, so travellers could stop and get refreshments and lodging on their journeys².
There are approximately 45,000 pubs in the UK³.
Pubs employ over 500,000 people in the UK⁴.
The Red Lion is the most common pub name in the UK, closely followed by The Crown and Royal Oak⁵.
It's been hard to prove which pub is actually the oldest of all, but the three oldest pubs in the UK are said to be:

o The Old Ferry Boat – in St Ives – which has records showing it dates back to 560AD⁶

o Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans was once listed in the Guinness Book of Records for being the oldest pub, and its structure has been dated to at least 793AD⁷

o Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham – this pub is built into the rock face beneath Nottingham Castle. Records prove that a castle brew-house occupied the site since 1189, and part of the foundations date back to 1070⁸

In 2008, it was found that the town of Rhayader in Wales has the most pubs per person, with 12 pubs serving its 2,075 residents⁹.
The pub with the longest name in the UK is The Old Thirteenth Cheshire Astley Volunteer Rifleman Corps Inn in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester¹⁰.
The largest pub in the UK is the Royal Victoria Pavilion in Ramsgate, which opened in 2017 and seats over 1,000 customers¹¹.
The Nutshell in Bury St Edmunds is currently the official smallest pub listed in the Guinness Book of Records. It measures 15 ft by 7 ft and can fit only 10-15 people comfortably¹².
The longest continuous bar in the UK (according to the Guinness World Records) is in The Falcon in Battersea. It curls round a full 360 degrees¹³.
The strongest beer in the UK is Scottish Beithir Fire, produced by 88 Brewery in Edinburgh and coming in with a whopping 75% ABV¹⁴.
The lowest pub in the UK is the Admiral Wells in Peterborough which is 9 ft below sea leve¹⁵.
The highest pub is the Tan Hill Inn in the Yorkshire Dales which is 1,700 ft above sea level¹⁶.
Five of London's Underground stations were named after pubs that existed close to their site.

o Angel – named after the Angel Coaching Inn which dates to 1638

o Elephant & Castle – the earliest record of this name is 1765

o Manor House – named after the Manor Tavern which was later renamed Manor House in 1931

o Royal Oak – named after The Royal Oak which was later renamed The Porchester

o Swiss Cottage – named after The Swiss Tavern which was built in 1803 and later renamed Swiss Cottage¹⁷

All about the beer

The strongest beer is Dutch, 60%, and called Start the Future.
The most expensive beer was produced by Brewdog, costing £500 for a 330ml bottle of The End of History beer. Only 12 were made, each unique bottle is made out of a stuffed animal dressed in an eccentric outfit.
The most expensive pint was served at the Rake in Borough London, where a pint of Cloudwater North West Double IPA beer cost £13.40 in 2017.
The lowest pub in England is the Admiral Wells in Peterborough which is 9ft below sea level.
The highest pub is the Tan Inn in the Yorkshire Dales which is 1,700 feet above sea level.
Five of London's Underground stations were named after pubs that existed close to their site. Angel, after the Angel Coaching Inn which dates back to 1638. Elephant & Castle; Manor House, after the Manor Tavern which was later renamed Manor House in 1931. Royal Oak and Swiss Cottage named after The Swiss Tavern which was built in 1803 and later renamed Swiss Cottage.

Pub insurance from Everywhen

Your pub might not be the oldest or the biggest, but it deserves proper protection as much as any other venue. At Everywhen, we offer specialist insurance for pubs, bars, nightclubs, entertainment venues and more.

If you’d like to find out how we can help protect your pub, give us a call on 01493 738322 or visit our specialist pub insurance page.

Consistent with our policy when giving comment and advice on a non-specific basis, we cannot assume legal responsibility for the accuracy of any particular statement. In the case of specific problems we recommend that professional advice be sought.

Sources:

Diane Caplehorn

Head of Partnerships – Direct

About Diane

Diane is a respected industry leader with over 25 years' experience within the insurance sector. She works across a wide spectrum of insurance products and policy development, delivery and optimisation for health and beauty, professional risks and martial arts clients, including managing partner relationships helping clients in protecting their businesses. Her areas of expertise within the sector include Micro-SME, Medical Charities.

Diane currently works at Everywhen as Head of Product – Direct. Everywhen combines regional care with national reach, deep sector knowledge and strong insurer relationships to deliver tailored solutions across 55+ schemes. We help our clients navigate everyday and emerging risks with confidence, always and at all times.

She previously worked for 14 years at Gallagher’s as Executive Director.