Mystery · St Albans · Legendary
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A crooked old pub by the river, where monks' tunnels supposedly burrow uphill.
See it clearly
A working pub, open to all. Go in for a drink and see the building for yourself.
Down by the river ahead is the Fighting Cocks, which claims to be England's oldest pub, with secret tunnels said to run up to the cathedral.
This small octagonal timber pub beside the River Ver is one of several in England claiming to be the oldest, boasting of trading since 793, the year King Offa is said to have founded the abbey on the hill above. Its odd shape comes from a former abbey dovecote, rebuilt on this spot in the 17th century, and the name recalls the cock fights that may once have been staged in the main bar. Local lore insists that secret tunnels run from the pub's cellars up to the cathedral, once used by the monks, and the story is still told to drinkers today.