BRITISH PUBS AT THE EXTREMES

HIGHEST PUB IN BRITAIN The Tan Hill Inn Swaledale, North Yorkshire

The highest pub in the United Kingdom is the Tan Hill Inn located near the head of Arkengarthdale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park some 536m (1732ft) above sea level.   Just within the county of North Yorkshire the border with Durham is a mere 51 metres to the north east  and the edge of Cumbria is only 664 metres to the west.  The Tan Hill Inn became the first pub in Britain to be awarded  a licence to hold weddings and civil ceremonies other than registry offices  or churches.  Some 11 miles from the village of Reeth, the Tan Hill Inn is beautifully isolated and being snowed in during winter is always a real possibility.  The Inn is said to be haunted by the ghost of Mrs Peacock a previous landlady.

LOWEST PUB IN BRITAIN The Admiral Wells Holme, Cambridgeshire

Holme Fen is officially the lowest point in Britain and is 14ft (4.26m) below sea level. It wasn't always this way but during the 1840s the grandson of Vice Admiral Wells, William Wells IV (1818 - 1889) drained Whittlesey Mere.  As the underlying peat started to dry and shrink the ground level began to drop. To measure the subsidence an iron post, reputedly from the Crystal Palace Exhibition Centre, was sunk through the upper layers until it reached the stable layer of clay. At the time the top of the post was at ground level but today, 150 years later, it is 13ft high. Shortly after draining the Fen William Wells built the Admiral Wells now Britain's lowest surface level pub.

SMALLEST PUB IN UK The Nutshell Pub Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

According to the Guinness Book of Records the Nutshell pub is officially the smallest in Britain and is only 4.57m long by 2.13m wide. It's life as a pub began around 1867.  It was taken over by the Stebbing Family in 1873  who continued to run it as a beerhouse.  However they also used it to exhibit curiosities including old musical instruments, artefacts from past wars, cork carvings and  even ivory artworks. Some of these, including a mummified cat, are still on display.  Usually the pub hosts about 20 guests but according to  the BBC  102 people and a dog named Bob managed to squeeze inside on the 10th March 1984 thus setting a new record.  Although tiny in size the Nutshell is said to be home to four ghosts.

LARGEST PUB IN THE UK The Moon Under Water Manchester, England

Officially recognised as the largest pub in Britain, The Moon under Water in Manchester is actually a converted Cinema called the Deansgate Picture House opened in January of 1914. It and can  host up to 1,700 people. It has a floor space of 820 sqm and yet a street frontage of only 12 metres.

The name is used for many pubs owned by the J D Wetherspoons brand and is based on an essay by the famous author George Orwell in which he described his ideal pub. Opened in 1995 it quickly became one of Manchester's most popular evening destinations.  In 2007 the pub integrated a Lloyds No 1 bar into the venue.

MOST REMOTE PUB UK The Old Forge Inverie, Knoydart, Scotland

The Old Forge at Inverie, Knoydart,  is officially  the 'remotest pub in Scotland' according to the Guinness Book of Records.  Inverie huddles on the north shore of Loch Nevis under the shadow of Sgurr Coire Choinnichean and can only be reached by boat. There are no connecting roads to the village but it is possible to hike across the Munro Mountains if the weather is suitable and 18 kilometres of rough terrain doesn't intimidate you.  The pub has nine moorings and was originally a blacksmiths before being turned into a workers social club shortly after WWII. In 1981 it was converted into a pub. The walls are covered with guitars, Fiddles, and even some percussion instruments which visitors are welcome to use ... if the they know how.

UNUSUAL BRITISH PUBS