Country pub of the week: The Royal Standard of England, Beaconsfield

Who has the rightful claim to being Britain’s oldest pub is a contended title. One is the Royal Standard of England, which dates back to either 1100 or 1213, depending on who you ask.

It was The Ship until 1663, when Charles II let it change its name, as thanks for supporting his murdered father, or because the pub let Charlie boy stay there with his mistress — again, depends on who you ask.

But there is more here than history: the pub is a timber-framed beauty, walls lined with animal heads, serving port from a barrel and whitebait out of pewter tankards.

Its fame has put it in movies (Hot Fuzz, The Theory of Everything) and draws slebs (Ozzy Osbourne, Ricky Gervais). Oh, and ghosts — listen out for the drummer boy marching in the car park.

Forty Green, Beaconsfield, Bucks, theoldestpub.com