10 Most Unusual Great British Pubs
We Brits love a good drinking hole. One thing that makes the great British pub so great are its history – and boy do the following pubs on this list offer just that. Take a look at the 10 most unusual great British pubs we implore you to explore.
1.The Dirty Bottles, Alnwick
source: listverse.com
At first glance, you wouldn’t think The Dirty Bottles has a rather spooky story, as it’s sleekly modern, offers a great atmosphere, delicious food and delicious cocktails. You can even pour your own pint at your table! However, look to your right before you step inside, as you’ll notice some rather dirty bottles.
These, however, aren’t any old bottles. They are haunted bottles. The pub was once known as Ye Old Cross Inn and is thought to have been constructed back in the 1600s. Legend has it that the innkeeper dropped dead while interfering with the bottles in the front window, a whopping two centuries ago. His grief-stricken widow later declared that anyone who interfered with the bottles would suffer the same fate as her husband – and so the “curse of the dirty bottles” was born. There’s even a sign affixed to the wall to prevent people from attempting to touch the bottles, which are exhibited in the front window and stored between two panes of glass.
2.Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, St. Albans
source: www.waymarking.com
The Guinness Book of Records awarded Ye Olde Fighting Cocks as the oldest pub in Great Britain, as it dates back to the 8th century, with the foundations dating way back to 793AD. The pub was, however, rebuilt during the 11th Century, and is the building that is still in use to this very day.
It is widely believed that beer cellar tunnels connect to the local cathedral. Many people often refer to the pub as “The Fighters”, mainly because it was a regular haunt for Oliver Cromwell, and the epicentre of cockfighting during the 1800s. The pub, which was once known as the Round House and The Fisherman, is therefore unlike any other pub in the country – as it is the oldest drinking hole in the UK.
3. The Temple, Manchester
source: manchesterhistory.net
How would you like to drink in a former public toilet? Well, you can at The Temple in Manchester, which offers a superb selection of continental beers. This unique drinking hole is now a popular haunt for all sorts of students, partygoers and has a number of loyal punters who regularly return to grab a drink and pick their favourite songs on the cool jukebox.
4. The Crooked House, Dudley
source: www.tripadvisor.co.uk
It’s not hard to figure out why The Crooked House is so unusual. In fact, the clue is in the name. The lopsided pub has become a tourist attraction in Dudley, and has even featured on numerous postcards since the 1830s. Efforts have been made to stabilise the much-loved pub since the 1800s, but it was deemed unsafe at the end of the First World War.
Thankfully, the building was stabilised once again. While the floor may have been leveled, the walls, frames and windows have been left at odd angles to maintain the building’s crookedness. There are also tables and countertops that will force a marble to mysteriously roll upwards.
5. The Opera House, Tunbridge Wells
source: www.thetunbridgewellsproject.co.uk
It’s hard not to be impressed by the beauty and history of The Opera House pub in Tunbridge Wells. The building first opened its doors back in 1902 as an opera house, before it was morphed into a cinema and then a bingo hall. However, in 1997, it was acquired by JD Wetherspoon to become one its most unusual pubs in the chain. In celebration of the building’s history, an opera performance is hosted once a year.
6. The Pack ‘O Cards, Devon
source: www.tripadvisor.co.uk
The Pack O’ Cards is anything but ordinary. The pub was built back in 1690 with the winnings of a card game, hence the pub’s name. Not only is the pub shaped like a pack of cards, but it has four floors – one for each suit, which offer thirteen doors on every floor and thirteen fireplaces.
7. The Haunch of Venison, Salisbury
source: www.tripadvisor.co.uk
What do you expect to find when you walk into a pub? Beer? Wine? Spirits? A mummified hand of an 18th century card cheat? Okay, maybe not the last one – but that’s just what The Haunch of Venison offers in Salisbury. The old, charming pub might offer a great atmosphere, but, if you go upstairs, you will find the mummified hand inside a small bread oven in the House of Lords room.
8.The Burgh Island Hotel, Devon
source: www.tripadvisor.co.uk
The Burgh Island Hotel is so beautiful that people will embark on one of the strangest transportation routes in the country, just to drink there! To access the pub, you have to step aboard a sea tractor, which carries punters across the waves and drops them off at the pub;s doors.
9. The Warren Inn, Dartmoor
source: afmm.org.uk
The Warren Inn is notoriously cold – which is why they have had their indoor fire burning since the building was first built in 1845. Back in 1963, the inn was snowed inn for an incredible 12 weeks, and so supplies had to be dropped into the pub by helicopter. Good job they had that fire.
It is believed that some of the embers from the original pub that was across the road were brought over to start a new fire, which has been burning ever since. The fire was originally kept aflame with peat; however, the current owners have stated they only use locally sourced wood on the fire.
10. The Nutshell, Bury St Edmunds
source: www.thetimes.co.uk
If you are looking for a quaint little pub, look no further than The Nutshell in Bury St Edmunds, which is the smallest pub in Great Britain. Only 10 punters are allowed in at a time, creating a rather cosy atmosphere. It’s therefore no bigger than a standard family bathroom. Now that’s small!
