Ye Olde Salutation Inn
Ye Olde Salutation Inn is a historic, Grade II listed pub in Nottingham known for its medieval fabric, extensive underground caves, rock-music identity, and ghost stories.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Ye Olde Salutation Inn, commonly called The Sal, is a historic public house in Nottingham, England. It is a hospitality venue as well as a heritage landmark, and is associated with Nottingham's long tradition of cave-cut buildings, medieval inns, and city-centre drinking houses. The building is Grade II listed and is widely discussed alongside Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem and The Bell Inn in claims concerning Nottingham's oldest pub. Those claims depend on how “oldest” is defined: the Salutation has exceptionally early fabric and archaeological features, but competing establishments have different claims based on surviving caves, documentary continuity, or use as a pub. The site contains unusually large artificial caves beneath the building. They comprise two levels of rock-cut cellars, stone shelves that were useful for cool storage before household refrigeration, and a well shaft approximately 24 metres deep. An investigation by the Thoroton Excavation Society in 1937 dated the caves to the Saxon period and interpreted them as part of an early farmstead. The caves are not simply decorative curiosities: over different periods they have been associated with storage, brewing, accommodation, refuge, and local legends. Access has historically depended on the landlord and operating arrangements. A predecessor alehouse is traditionally linked to the name “The Archangel Gabriel Salutes the Virgin Mary” and is said to have existed on the site from about 1240. The religiously themed name was common among guesthouses connected with religious institutions, prompting speculation about links to nearby Carmelite and Franciscan houses, although the cited historical material does not establish such an affiliation. The site is also connected with stories of travellers, crusading knights, and medieval hospitality, but some of these accounts are legends rather than documented events. The core of the present building has been dated by dendrochronology to approximately 1360. It was originally a workshop and dwelling associated with the city's tanning trade. Later records identify a hostel for travellers and journeymen in 1414 and a private residence on the site in 1440. During the English Civil War, both Royalist and Parliamentarian forces reportedly used rooms at the inn for recruitment. A persistent local tradition claims that Oliver Cromwell and other Parliamentarians signed the death warrant of Charles I there, but this is best treated as an unverified legend. During the Protectorate, the inn's sign was removed and the premises were renamed The Soldier and Citizen; following the Restoration in 1660, the Salutation name returned. The premises have served changing social and commercial roles. A brothel reportedly occupied the room now called the Dining Room after the Restoration, while a sweet shop operated in the area now known as the Cromwell Room. By the late seventeenth century, the inn had a disreputable reputation and was associated in local tradition with highwaymen such as Dick Turpin and John Nevison. In 1788 it hosted a large banquet celebrating the centenary of the Glorious Revolution. In 1820, a household tragedy occurred when oatmeal contaminated with arsenic intended for rat extermination killed landlord John Green and poisoned members of his household. Today, the Salutation's identity combines historic-pub hospitality with a strong local rock and motorcycle-pub reputation. Local historian Dave Mooney characterized it as an old-fashioned rock and bike pub, distinguishing it from a purely heritage-oriented tourist attraction. The inn also promotes or attracts interest in paranormal stories; one former landlord claimed that 89 apparitions occupied the premises, contributing to its reputation as one of Britain's most haunted pubs. Extensions were made in 1966, and a wrought-iron hand installed outside was reportedly stolen on the night it was put up. The venue's historical claims were examined in a 1998 Channel 4 History Hunters programme alongside Nottingham's other famous old pubs. The programme concluded that the Salutation had the oldest building among the three, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem had the oldest caves, and The Bell Inn had the strongest claim to being the oldest pub.
History
Ye Olde Salutation Inn occupies a site whose history combines archaeology, medieval hospitality, changing urban commerce, and persistent local legend. Beneath the pub are two levels of substantial rock-cut caves, with stone shelves used for cool storage and a deep well shaft. Investigations in the twentieth century dated the caves to the Saxon period and interpreted them as remains of an early farmstead. They predate the inn itself and were later adapted for uses connected with storage, brewing, accommodation, and refuge. Their unusual scale is part of the Salutation's heritage appeal, although access has traditionally been controlled by the landlord. A predecessor alehouse is believed to have stood on the site by about 1240 under the religiously themed name “The Archangel Gabriel Salutes the Virgin Mary.” Such names were associated with guesthouses and religious institutions, leading to suggestions that the site may have had links with nearby Carmelite or Franciscan communities. The available account does not provide documentary proof of those links. Stories that crusading knights stopped at the alehouse similarly belong to the inn's traditional historical narrative rather than a securely documented continuous record. The principal surviving structure dates from around 1360, based on dendrochronological work undertaken by the University of Nottingham in 1992. It began as a workshop for a Nottingham tanner with living quarters above. Later municipal records refer to a hostel for travellers and journeymen in 1414, and to a private dwelling belonging to John Alastre in 1440. These references show that the site moved among productive, residential, and hospitality functions during the medieval period. The inn's name and public role changed during the seventeenth century. During the English Civil War, both sides reportedly maintained recruiting rooms there. Local tradition further claims that prominent Parliamentarians, including Oliver Cromwell, signed Charles I's death warrant at the premises; this story is not established as documented fact. During the Protectorate, civic authorities objected to the religious meaning of the sign and renamed the establishment The Soldier and Citizen. The Salutation name returned after the Restoration in 1660, when a sign showing two shaking hands was installed or reinstated. At different times the building also contained a brothel and a sweet shop in rooms that later acquired historical names. By the late seventeenth century, the inn had developed a darker reputation and was linked by tradition to highwaymen. Dick Turpin and John Nevison are both associated with the building in local stories, including an account that Turpin nearly escaped capture through the caves. In 1788, the inn hosted a twenty-course banquet marking the centenary of the Glorious Revolution. A more firmly recorded tragedy occurred in 1820, when arsenic intended for rat extermination contaminated oatmeal. Landlord John Green died and other members of his household were poisoned. The King Charles Snug is attributed to the Victorian or Edwardian period. The modern identity of the Salutation has been shaped by both preservation and popular culture. Extensions were added in 1966, although a wrought-iron hand installed outside was reportedly stolen immediately. The inn became known locally for rock music and for an informal motorcycle-oriented atmosphere. It also developed a strong haunted-pub reputation. A landlord claimed that 89 apparitions were present, helping the venue promote a supernatural image alongside its medieval caves and disputed oldest-pub status. In 1998, the Channel 4 programme History Hunters compared it with Nottingham's Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem and The Bell Inn. The programme distinguished between the oldest building, oldest caves, and oldest pub rather than awarding all three claims to one venue.
- 1998
Oldest-pub claims investigated on television
[1]History Hunters compared the Salutation with two other Nottingham pubs and separated claims concerning the oldest building, caves, and pub.
- 1966
Modern extensions completed
[1]Extensions were made to the inn, accompanied by the reported theft of a newly installed wrought-iron hand.
- 1820
Arsenic poisoning tragedy
[1]Contaminated oatmeal caused the death of landlord John Green and poisoned other household members.
- 1788
Glorious Revolution centenary banquet
[1]The inn hosted a twenty-course banquet commemorating the centenary of the Glorious Revolution.
- 1660
Salutation name restored after the Restoration
[1]Following the period when the premises were called The Soldier and Citizen, the Salutation name returned after the Restoration.
- 1440
Private dwelling documented
[1]Records identify a private dwelling on the site belonging to John Alastre.
- 1414
Hostel recorded on the site
[1]Borough records refer to a hostel serving travellers and journeymen.
A predecessor alehouse is associated with the site
[1]Historical tradition places an alehouse known as The Archangel Gabriel Salutes the Virgin Mary on the site around this period.
Core building constructed
[1]Dendrochronological research dates the main surviving building to approximately 1360, when it functioned as a tanner's workshop with living accommodation.
Products and positioning
A heritage Nottingham pub positioned around historic architecture, medieval and underground-cave associations, local legends, rock music, and an informal motorcycle-friendly atmosphere.
Hospitality
Pub hospitality
The inn's principal offering is traditional public-house hospitality in a historic Nottingham setting. This encompasses drinks, socializing, and the atmosphere of a long-established city-centre venue. The available reference material does not specify a current food menu, beverage range, pricing, or named house products, so those details are not included.
Entertainment and nightlife
Rock and motorcycle-pub experience
The Salutation is locally distinguished by its rock-music identity and informal motorcycle-oriented character. This positioning makes it more than a heritage display: it is presented as an active social pub with a distinctive music and biker culture. Specific performers, event schedules, and current programming are not established by the supplied sources.
Heritage attraction
Historic cave and building experience
The two-level caves beneath the inn, together with the medieval building fabric, form a heritage experience associated with Nottingham's underground architecture. The caves include storage shelves and a deep well shaft and may be opened to visitors at the landlord's discretion. The reference material does not establish a formal ticketing operation or regular tour schedule.
Brand decisions
1966
Expansion of the premisesOtherBackground
The historic inn required adaptation during the modern period while retaining its heritage identity.
Action taken
Extensions were added to the building.
Aftermath
The expansion became part of the inn's modern architectural history; a wrought-iron hand installed outside was reportedly stolen the same night.
1640
Renaming as The Soldier and Citizen during the ProtectorateStrategyBackground
During the Protectorate, civic leaders objected to the religious implications of the Salutation sign and name.
Action taken
The inn's sign was removed and the premises were renamed The Soldier and Citizen.
Aftermath
The Salutation name was restored after the 1660 Restoration, when the venue again became associated with its historic religiously themed identity.
Sources2 sources
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