It’s time to impress your friends again with your astounding knowledge of Britain and its history. This time it’s a random list of 10 of Britain’s oldest things. Enjoy!
#1 Britain’s Oldest Castle
The oldest and largest inhabited castle in Britain is Windsor Castle, which, for over a 1,000 years has been the residence of Britain's kings and queens.
#2 Britain’s Oldest Cathedral
#3 Britain’s Oldest Church
#4 Britain’s Oldest House
On the island of Papa Westray, in the Orkney Islands in the north of Scotland, is the incredible Knap of Howar, which is regarded as the oldest standing house in Northwest Europe. These two dwellings were occupied by Neolithic farmers and are thought to be well over 5,000 years old dating back to around 3,600 BC. The walls are over 5 feet high and the dwellings contain partitions, storage areas, fireplaces, and even beds!
#5 Britain’s Oldest House (Continuously occupied)
Image copyright Rick Crowley / Saltford Manor House / CC BY-SA 2.0
Saltford Manor, near Bath, Somerset, is thought to be the oldest continuously occupied private house in Britain. The house is believed to date back to 1148 which was the completion date of Hereford Cathedral. The house has a Norman arch etched with diamond markings that are similar to features found in the Cathedral. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltford_Manor_House
#6 Britain’s Oldest School
Image copyright Victor Naumenko
The King's School in Canterbury, England, is Britain's oldest public school. It is also possibly the oldest continuously operating school in the entire world, as education on the Abbey and Cathedral grounds has been in existence since AD 597, which is when the school was founded.
#7 Britain’s Oldest Door
Image credit: ancient-origins.net
This ancient oak timber door in Westminster Abbey is Britain's oldest door, being over a thousand years old.
The wood for the door was felled after 1032 AD, with the door then being constructed in the 1050s.
#8 Britain’s oldest working telephone box
Image credit: freewight.org.uk
The above British telephone box is a type K1, which first appeared on British streets in May 1921. There are only 2 left; one in Kingston upon Hull, and the one in the picture above is in Bembridge, on the Isle of Wight, and is the oldest working telephone box in Britain.
#9 Britain’s Oldest Pub
Ye Olde Fighting Cocks (pictured) in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England, is one of several pubs that lay claim to the title of oldest pub in England. It claims to have been in business since 793 AD.
However, there are many other pubs in contention, with claims of their own to be England's or Britain's Oldest Pub -
Ye Old Trip to Jerusalem, in Nottingham, England (c.1189); Ye Olde Salutation Inn, Nottingham, England (c. 1240); The Royal Standard of England, in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England (c.1086); The Porch House, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, England (c.947); The Old Ferry Boat Inn, Holywell, Cambridge, England (c.560); The Bingley Arms, Bardsey, Leeds, England. (c.905); Adam and Eve, Bishopgate, Norwich, England. (c.1249); Ye Olde Man & Scythe, Bolton, England. (c. 1251); The Prospect of Whitby, London, England. (1520) claims to be Britain's oldest riverside pub; The Skirrid Mountain Inn, Abergavenny, Wales (1110) .
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