On the corner of Castle Gate and St. Nicholas Street sits the Royal Children, one of the oldest licenced premises in the city.
The peculiar name dates from at least 1688, when the daughter of King James II and her children were entertained at the pub and made friends and playmates of the landlord's children. The pub has a very classic feel, both inside and outside. The interior contains a traditional almost U-shaped bar and several seperate seating areas around a single room. The building was rebuilt in 1933-34, sticking closely to the original design and layout. A curious relic is framed behind the bar, specifically the shoulder blade of a whale. This is the former sign for the building and dates from a time when whale oil was first being introduced in place of candles for interior lighting. The Royal Children is believed to be one of the first inns to use whale oil lighting and this is commemorated by the whale bone sign, which is believed to be the only one of its kind in existence, symbolising the time when the Innkeeper also doubled as an oil vendor. The pub itself has retained much of its charm and there are several old newspaper cuttings and photos in strategic locations throughout the interior. The only disappointment is in the range of beer. Of the 10 available hand pulls, 6 were in use but these were poorly supplied with 2 pumps each dedicated to Castle Rock Harvest Pale, Wells Bombardier and Courage Directors. I opted for a pint of Directors which I am quite partial too. This a traditional coloured best bitter with a distinct taste of roast malt and a noticeably bitter quality. Despite the limited range, the quality of the pint cannot be disputed.
My next location lies on the adjacent corner and is actually joined to the Royal Children. One of Nottingham's most well-known and legendary premises, this is Ye Olde Salutation Inn, known locally as The Sal.
The building dates from at least 1240, during which period it was a leather tannery, with a ground floor workshop and the tanner's accomodation upstairs. 200 years later, it is thought to have been a private residence. The pub's name is associated with the sign out front, which shows a handshake. This is believed to be a representation of the Archangel Gabriel saluting the Virgin Mary and is a 1660 replacement for a sign that was taken down in 1649 when Cromwell's Puritan regime demanded a name change. For this 11 year period, the pub was known as 'The Soldier and Citizen' before a welcome name change to its current moniker. A network of tunnels and caves exists beneath the building and these are available to visit on a regular basis. The caves are believed to date from as early as the 9th century and there is evidence to suggest that they were once inhabited by Saxons. The Sal is renowned as a venue for rock music and carries out very popular rock karaoke nights every week. It's also gaining a reputation for real ale. On my visit, 8 hand pumps were present on the downstairs bar, 4 of which were dedicated to real cider. The other 4 contained a decent variety of beers, with 2 from Springhead and Nottingham Brewery's very popular Legend. I decided on the offering from the 4th pump. Guaranteed Sunshine is a delicious brew, pale in colour and very hoppy but surprisingly drinkable and with an ABV of 4.3%. It certainly went down easily enough although I'm not sure which brewery produces it as there were no obvious indicators on the badge. The pub is certainly worth a visit for its medieval character alone.
Whilst the Royal Children is devoid of ghostly happenings, The Sal is well-known for its hauntings and is believed to be one of the most haunted pubs in Nottingham. It's a sign of the pub's reputation that the Nottingham Ghost Walk begins outside and ends in the caves beneath the building and there are a couple of plaques within the pub that talk about some of its ghostly inhabitants. I went on the Ghost Walk myself during my first week in Nottingham and it was very atmospheric, made more so by the incoherent drunk in the neighhbouring churchyard. The pub certainly has a distinctive atmosphere and its plethora of ghosts are relatively well-known. One of the more common sightings is that of a little girl, aged around 4 or 5 years of age. Nicknamed 'Rosie', she is believed to have been run down by a carriage outside the building and has been sighted in the caves and in other areas of the pub. A man in medieval clothing is occasionally sighted in one of the back bedrooms, although it is unknown whether this is a distinct entity from that of a depressed landlord who poisoned himself or whether both apparitions are one and the same. There was a spate of poltergeist activity at the pub in the 1990s, with one memorable incident occurring when the landlord at the time had a set of keys mysteriously vanish, only for them to reappear swinging from their usual hook behind the bar after a couple of hours of fruitless searching. Another apparition is that of a highwayman who allegedly drowned in a water-filled pit whilst hiding from the authorities in the cave system back in 1730. He has been spotted near the spot where he died, sitting down before leaping to his feet, mouthing silently and then firing a pair of silent pistols at an unseen assailant before vanishing. This is assumed to be a classic replay apparition, where a spirit replays a set of actions from its life without interacting with witnesses and no change in behaviour.
I would thoroughly recommend a visit to this most haunted of public houses. The beer itself is a reason worthy of returning for.
On Saturday, I'll be venturing down to another of Nottingham's very well-known pubs as I partake in a beer festival at Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem.
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