A few weeks ago, I visited Nottingham, a city connected with Robin Hood and his adversary, the Sheriff of Nottingham. Alas, the castle was closed for renovations until 2020 so the exterior wall was all I saw of the castle. 2020 is the year to go to Nottingham!
But I did meet Robin Hood and his Merry Men, larking about outside the ancient dwelling.
If you do venture to Nottingham, in the East Midlands of England, there is a hostelry that is, in my view, an absolute must for lovers of history, geology, atmosphere, nooks and crannies, intrigue and potential ghosts. This ancient inn is called Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem and is actually set in the walls of the castle.
Many venues boast of ‘being the oldest pub’ or ‘most haunted’, but once I crossed the threshold of Ye Olde Trip, I felt both claims may well have an element of truth (if ghosts actually exist in the first place of course!)
Unlike today’s open plan pubs, which focuses more on convenience than atmosphere, this inn is full of nooks and crannies, one small, cosy room leading to another. Artefacts, such as swords, old photos and information was displayed on the ancient walls.
Halloween was around the corner, so there was a spooky theme, admittedly, but the ‘Haunted Snug’ needed no eerie skeleton or witch embellishments. The info plaque explained how it was always warm, even though there were no radiators or other heating. (Usually I associate ghosts with a cold atmosphere, but perhaps this spook was a kindly soul who liked catering for guests). There was also a portrait of an old-fashioned lady, whose eyes (according to the information board) followed you around. It’s a funny trick of the mind, but it really did seem to be the case.
After going to this room, I visited the courtyard toilet and, filled with ghostly ideas, being in this space by myself started to give me the creeps! Once I washed my hands, I quickly walked back into the busier bar area!
Upstairs, there was a spooky looking model of a ship which I assumed was a deliberate Halloween display. I only found out the actual, grisly story behind it later when researching the pub’s background.
Here are five fascinating facts about The Olde Trip …
* It was build into the rocks that Nottingham Castle is built on.

* There is a network of sandstone caves beneath the building, it is thought that these were originally used as a brewery for the castle and dates from the construction of the castle (1068AD). Cellar tours are available.
* The Cursed Galleon, as photographed earlier, is a small wooden model of a ship – covered in grime and dirt – and resides in a glass container. On the Greene King website, it is claimed that people who have cleaned it over the years have met with a mysterious death and now landlords refuse to let anyone clean it. True story or urban legend?
*It is believed the inn was established in 1189. Richard the Lionheart became King in that year, which was also the year the Pope called for a Third Crusade to the Holy Land. (There is, unfortunately, no documented evidence of the date of the inn). A ‘Trip’ in the Middle Ages was actually a place to rest. Legend says the Crusaders would have stopped off at the inn for a rest and refreshments before their journey to Jerusalem.
*The oldest parts of the building were constructed in the 1650s.
Lovely pictures. Great story.
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Thank you 🙂
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Lovely! Such history! Glad you had fun!
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Thank you. There is an amazing amount of history in that one place, I really enjoyed visiting and learning about it. 🙂
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This was incredibly fascinating. Thank you for doing this. The pictures were great.
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Thank you for reading. It is an absolutely fascinating place, a definite must-see if you visit Nottingham in England. 🙂
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History pages always amazing. Thanks for recalling. Nice post. Cheers.
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Thank you. The Olde Trip does have an amazing history, I loved visiting it.
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✨🙏🌹🎅🌲🎄🤶
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Very cool (especially that ship)! Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for reading. It is such a cool pub, the ship was fascinating. I thought it was a Halloween decoration (when we visited it was around that time) but it turns out it always looks like that because of the creepy story behind it. 🙂
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We will await your return trip in 2020, but in the meantime, the photos are incredible and just consider how old everything is and holds up so well. I like reading the history you provide on your adventures.
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Thank you. It is incredible how such an old building holds up so well, maybe because it is set within the castle walls. I love going places with history and atmosphere, they tend to be fascinating places. I’ll definitely have to go back to visit the castle in 2020. I’ll write about the castle and Robin Hood then! 🙂
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Yes it always amazes me as well Clare. I used to travel when I was younger and I always liked seeing the old castles and historical sites and would marvel how well they have held up. We don’t really have old castles and the like here in the U.S. or in Canada where I grew up. I’ll be looking forward to your return in 2020. I follow a UK photographer and I really enjoy his shorebirds photography, but I also enjoy his little trips to historical places. He was on a road trip to Scotland a few months ago – he posted many interesting photos. Here is the historical portion of Andy Finnegan’s site whenever you get a chance to check it out – I think you’ll like it: https://a60716357.wordpress.com/category/historical-site/
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Linda, thank you for introducing me to Andy Finnegan’s blog. The pictures are wonderful. I’ve followed it now. 🙂
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I’m glad you like it Clare. I really was fascinated with Andy’s poppy post and asked him if I could use it for Veteran’s Day and the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI. He is retired and he and his wife travel around in a camper van. I don’t know if she is interested in photography as well, but he says he originally created the blog instead of sending postcards to family when they are travelling. I am glad I was a good “blog matchmaker”. 🙂
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Sounds like a great trip, I wish I could see Robin Hood 😉!
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It was a great trip Jessy, a pity about the castle being closed but I’ll be back. 🙂 It was good to see Robin Hood outside the castle albeit in statue form! 🙂
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Thank you very much for the nomination! 🙂
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I live in Mansfield, so Nottingham not far away. I have visited the castle a few times, which the last time was their last opening day before closing for renervations. I looked forward to visiting the castle again, when it opens.
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem I have been in once many years ago and I found it a fascinating building.
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Nottingham Castle is definitely on my to-do list when it reopens. I loved Ye Olde Trip, such a unique place. I’ve never been anywhere like it. 🙂
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