UNUSUAL BRITISH PUBS

You just can't get something more British than the traditional pub. Although many have closed in recent years there are still more than 54,000 scatted across Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Many of them date back hundreds of years and have fascinating histories full of human eccentricity. Here are the first five and some of the most curious.

MOST TILTED / DRUNKEN The Crooked House Dudley, West Midlands.

Originally a farmhouse it was later changed into a pub called the Sidden Arms but substantial local coal mining had caused one side to subside by about 1.2 meters. Since around 1800 efforts had been made to stabilise he building with questionable success but it quickly became a tourist attraction and was even featured on postcards as early as 1830.  Shortly after the end of WW II the house was condemned as unsafe . Fortunately the building was stabilised and although the floors of the building have been leveled, the walls, frames, and windows have been left at  odd angles and there are still counter tops and tables were a marble will mysteriously roll upwards.

OLDEST IN BRITAIN Ye Olde Fighting Cocks St. Albans, Hertfordshire.

Ye Olde Fighting Cocks - or just 'The Fighters' as it's known locally is believed to be the oldest pub in Britain and has a Guinness Book of Records award to substantiate their claim. The pub dates back to the 8th Century although it was rebuilt during the 11th Century and this is the building still in use today.  It's believed that tunnels in the beer cellar connect to the nearby cathedral which is dedicated to St. Alban, Britain's first Christian Martyr. The pub was once known as the Round House and was originally a pigeon house.  Local legend has it that Oliver Cromwell - leader of the Round Heads - stayed at the pub and it was certainly a centre for local cock fighting during the 1800's. 

STRANGEST PUB FOOD The Bottle Inn Marshwood, Dorset.

These days many pubs serve food and are a great place to sink a pint while enjoying reasonably priced fish and chips.  The Bottle Inn of Marshwood, Dorset, has a reputation for serving up something a little more unusual. The pub is the home of the World Nettle Eating Competition.  The event can be traced back to 1986 when two farmers argued over who had the longest nettles.  It became a competition when Alex Williams threw down the gauntlet by claiming he'd eat any nettle that was longer than his.  Only nettles provided by the organiser can be used. In recent years the Bottle Inn has changed management and may no longer be open but it has definitely earned its reputation for strangest food.

PUB IN A STONE CIRCLE The Red Lion Avebury, Wiltshire.

The Red Lion pub in Avebury, Wiltshire, is the only one in the world to be fully located within an ancient stone circle that is believed to be even older than Stonehenge.  The village is located in the centre of England's Neolithic landscape and surrounded by mysterious barrows, hills and prehistoric monuments. The stone circle is the largest in Europe and considered to be one of the first ever built. As such, human habitation of the site is said to be as early as 4000BC. More than 400 years old itself, the pub was originally a farmhouse until it was converted and licensed in 1802.  It also features a remarkable well inside the building which is 86ft deep and is well known as one of Britain's most haunted buildings.

LONGEST BURNING FIRE The Warren Inn Dartmoor, Devon.

The Warren Inn, named after the extensive rabbit warrens that once existed nearby,  is located high in the hills of Dartmoor where it can become notoriously cold.  In fact, in 1963 the Inn was snowed in for 12 weeks and had to have supplies dropped by helicopter. As such, the Pub is said to have had a fire burning - or at least smoldering -  since the it was built in 1845.   The story goes that some embers from the original pub across the road were carried over and used to start the new fire which has been burning continuously ever since. Originally the fire was kept going with peat but according to the current owners they now only use locally sourced wood.

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