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
Pub names Pub names Pub names are used to identify and differentiate pubs. Many pubs are centuries old, from a time when their customers were often illiterate, but could recognise pictorial signs. Pub names have a variety of origins, from objects used as simple identification marks to the coats of arms of kings or local aristocrats and landowners. Other names come from historic events, livery companies, and occupations or craftsmen's guilds. Unlike Ireland, where the names of pubs tend to be based on the name of the owner, or a former owner, in mainland Britain this has been unusual, probably because pubs