Hertfordshire has plenty of wonderful sites showcasing its rich history - but one of the most popular is what is believed to be the county's oldest pub.

Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans dates back to the 8th century, according to Enjoy St Albans, with the pub's current structure constructed in the 11th century.

Ye Olde Fighting Cocks is in St Albans.Ye Olde Fighting Cocks is in St Albans. (Image: Tripadvisor)

 

The pub stands near St Albans Cathedral and underground, some tunnels stretch from the tunnels to the beer cellar of the Cathedral believed to be used by Monks.

It got its name from cock fighting, which was popular from the 19th century to the early 20th century. It's also believed that Ye Olde Fighting Cocks once welcomed Oliver Cromwell a number of times and it's said he slept there for one night during the Civil War of 1642 to 1651.

Nowadays, the pub works in a traditional manner serving drinks and pub food including the likes of a Sunday roast, burgers, fish and curry.

On the online review site Tripadvisor, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks has an impressive rating of 4/5 from more than 430 reviews.

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One local of St Albans described the pub as "brilliant", writing: "The pub is really well laid out with loads of outside seating space. As it was their annual mini music festival it was busy but the staff were absolutely brilliant in taking drinks orders from the tables outside."

Another said it was "faultless", adding: "What a find this was for quality beer, amazing service and a great meal at affordable prices. Cannot recommend this pub in central St Albans enough and it is given without reservation!"

One person had come all the way from Western Canada to try out the historic pub: "Beautiful old English pub! Full of character, just what we wanted, coming from Western Canada! Glad it managed to stay open, would love to come back again!"