MEDIEVAL INNS AND ALEHOUSES - AND MODERN MYTHS

"MEDIEVAL INNS AND ALEHOUSES - AND MODERN MYTHS" - A TALK BY BEST SELLING HISTORICAL AUTHOR, DR. IAN MORTIMER
Doors open 6pm - the bar will be open. The talk starts at 7pm. 

"The quintessential English pub is old – often very old. Perhaps three hundred of them date from the fifteenth century and a few from even earlier. But about four times as many claim to be medieval – even though they have about as much antiquity as a pint of lager. Among them, there are some regional differences.

This talk will cover the origins of our inns, alehouses, church houses and taverns and will show why there are such massive regional differences. Ian will identify some of the most interesting ancient buildings as well as exposing some of the biggest fibs told by landlords and debunking some of the most common myths about old hostelries. Up and down the country, from the Fighting Cocks in St Albans and the Mermaid in Rye to the Old Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham and the George in Norton St Philip, the real antiquity of our most famous 'old' pubs will be brought to light. By the end of the evening, you will look at supposedly medieval pubs with a more critical eye. And you will certainly be in need of a drink."

Venue address: Dartmoor Whisky Distillery, The Old Town Hall, Town Hall Place, Bovey Tracey, Newton Abbot, Devon, England, TQ13 9EG

About the Author: 

"Dr Ian Mortimer is best known as the author of the the four Time Traveller's Guides - to Medieval England, Elizabethan England, Restoration Britain and Regency Britain - as well as four critically acclaimed medieval biographies and a prize-winning novel, The Outcasts of Time. In total, his books have sold more than 1.3 million copies and been translated into sixteen languages. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He has been described by The Times as 'the most remarkable medieval historian of our time'. He lives in Moretonhampstead."