The Bell Inn Cellars are opened to the public on regular guided tours. In 1998, Channel 4 television series "History Hunters" examined the claims of The Bell Inn, Ye Olde Salutation Inn and Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem to each be the oldest pub in Nottingham. The programme, first broadcast on 5 December 1998, concluded that of the three, Ye Olde Salutation was the oldest "building" but the Bell had been the earliest in use as a pub. The Bell Inn The Bell Inn is an ancient pub in Nottingham, England. Dating from around 1437, it claims, along with Ye Olde Trip to
Irish pub title "oldest pub in Dublin". It was not until 1635 that the government required pubs to be licensed. Grace Neill's in Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland, which became licensed in 1611, holds the title of "oldest licensed pub in Ireland". Irish pubs or public houses were the working man's alternative to the private drinking establishments frequented by those who could pay for entry. In 1735 the "Drink on Credit to Servants Act" was enacted stating that any publican who sold a drink on credit to servants, labourers or other low-wage earners had no right to seek help from the law