The site on which it stands has been associated with the brewing industry since Roman times and the pub itself is built into the sandstone rock on which Nottingham Castle stands and many of the caves have been incorporated into the structure of the building.The Trip, whilst not the city's oldest pub (that honour belongs to The Bell in the Market Square), is purported to be the city's oldest inn, built in 1189. The site is believed to have been used to brew beer for the castle residences since the time of the Norman Conquest, using water from the River Leen, which lies in close proximity. It takes its name from when it acted as a stopping off point for soldiers heading off to the crusades. The interior of the building is a labyrinth of winding walkways, alcoves, nooks and crannies, with a number of historical artefacts adorning the walls and foreign bank notes stuck behind the bar.
I've been to the Trip many times and I never fail to be captured by its unique atmosphere. The beer has always been notable and the pub is now run by Greene King so its portfolio has been improved upon again of late. Having some like-minded friends with a passion for ale and pubs in general, we rounded a few up and headed down for a relaxing Saturday evening. The beer festival was being held in the courtyard between the main part of the pub and the toilet block, in an area used as a contained drinking and smoking area. A stillage area had been set up containing a myriad of beers from many local breweries with a handy list on the makeshift bar to help with my choice. I was slightly overwhelmed and unsure of where to begin but the staff were very helpful and the gentleman serving me was happy to recommend something to wet my whistle and get the process underway. I began with Cromwell's Gold, from Milestone Brewery, golden in colour, 4.3% and a nice balance of sweet hops and bitter malt. The festival was obviously going well. The missus was a tad annoyed that the real cider on offer had temporarily sold out but thankfully there were enough appley offerings on the normal bar to keep her relatively happy. My next choice was the brilliantly named Stalin's Punch, a golden offering from the good folk at Holden's. My choice was perfectly timed as it was the last pint left in the barrel. This didn't affect the quality though, as it was a very drinkable, smooth tasting concoction with a soft tinge of hops and a distinct fruity quality. It weighed in at a very suitable 4.5% which is fine with me! My friend Matt was having lots of fun extolling the virtues of Chocolate & Vanilla Stout from Titanic Brewery and we all had a sip of his pint, with an interesting range of reactions, I, for one, thought it was quite good! My final choice for the evening was from Burton Bridge Brewery, in the form of By George!, their special edition St. George's Day ale. This was a nice copper colour and came with a subtle malty taste and a soft finish. It was very tasty indeed and provided a nice end to our time at the festival. By this stage, the evening was getting on and whilst the day had been lovely with spring sunshine and not a cloud in the sky, the temperature had started to drop markedly so we made a group decision to venture elsewhere. I very much hope that the Trip holds a similar event in future as it was a very enjoyable evening for all involved, the beer and service was excellent and the pub is an wonderful venue.
The Trip is not just renowned for its history and its beer. Its ghostly stories are part and parcel of Nottingham folklore. One of its most famous stories is that of the 'Cursed Galleon'. This is an 18 inch long model of a galleon, dust and cobweb covered, situated in a glass case above the bar in one of the upstairs rooms. The legend associated with it is that anyone who ever touches it will die. A local medium who believe the tale handled the galleon and narrowly survived a serious car accident. The galleon is now not moved or touched by anyone and is permanently confined to its case. In the same upstairs room, near an old fireplace, is a chair that is alleged to induce pregnancy in any female that sits on it.
The pub has been investigated by a number of paranormal investigation groups, who all picked up some quite significant phenomena. UK Paranormal recorded the sounds of moving furniture, glasses moving in the bar and a female scream from a room in the cellar that is now bricked-up. They also encountered the apparition of a blonde gentleman in coarse woollen garments of long ago who appeared suddenly behind one of their team members at 4am. Another apparition they witnessed was independently verified by another investigation team. Whilst in the inner courtyard, they noticed a movement in the window of the Rock Lounge above before observing a dark figure with no discernable features moving quikcly across the room. A previous landlady also witnessed the figure whilst mopping the floor one morning. The figure made its way from the Rock Lounge, through the main bar and through the locked front door into the street. The figure has been seen once more, exiting the private quarters near the kitchens and disappearing down the stairs to the main bar.
The scents of lavender and rose water mysteriously come and go, glasses fly off shelves and, oddly, the sound of breaking glass is often heard with no explanation. The cellar is the scene of many sightings. The dark figure of a man has been seen and heard storming around, the sound of which causes many people to go upstairs rather quickly. A ladyin a crinoline dress has also been seen entering the cellar and disappearing. The gas taps to the beer lines are known to be suddenly turned off when no-one has been in the area and a party of five tourists taking part in a cellar tour reported seeing two 17th century figures walk into a wall. The snug at the front of the main building is known as the 'Haunted Snug'. A plaque on the wall in the area goes into more detail about the eerie whispers, knockings and voices heard here. Drinks are also unaccountably knocked over with witnesses claiming no obvious human interference. Two separate witnesses have reported time slips at the site, one inside and another outside the property. A man, sitting in the small alcove opposite the main bar on a dark and rainy mid-winter night, suddenly saw himself looking out on a bright summer day with the nearby buildings replaced by fields and a river. He heard the sound of a horse approaching and a young, scruffily-dressed man ran into view and hid behind a large kiln-like structure that was beside him before the vision vanished. The second incident, from outside the building, occurred when a mental looking towards the college buildings across the road saw them vanish to be replaced by rolling fields. This lasted for a second before things returned to normal.
It's impossible not to be struck by the history of this impressive inn and I would heartily suggest that anyone who is even remotely interested in good beer, impressive architecture and local history, goes down and checks it out!!
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