Oldest pub in the UK closes its doors after 1,229 years

Pub Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, which is said to be the oldest in the United Kingdom, is closing due to financial difficulties after 1,229 years of operation.

The managers of the establishment in St. Albans, England, announced in a post on Facebook that the historic pub is closing permanently due to the financial problems that have worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pub’s website states that the company started serving drinks in the year 793. “Together with my team, we have tried everything to keep it running,” wrote Christos Tofali, who runs the pub.

“However, the last two years have been unprecedented for the catering industry and they have crushed all of us who did everything we could to ensure that the award-winning pub continues to operate in the future,” he added.

Tofali explained that the pub’s financial problems predated the pandemic, but that issues were getting worse.

Ye Olde Fighting Cocks with more than 1,200 years of operation is said to have taken its current name from the cockfights it hosted in the late 19th century.

Mitchells & Butlers, the brewery that owns the building, has announced that it is considering ways to reopen the pub under new management.