With the date 1636 on its black and white timber frontage, the Shakespeare on Victoria Street claims to be Bristol’s oldest pub. But so does the Hatchet. And so does another Shakespeare, on Prince Street.

It’s an oft-contested fact, and regardless of whether it holds the crown or not – and that accolade will probably be contested for centuries to come – Victoria Street’s Shakespeare has a proud history.

There are enough wooden beams here to build the hull of a ship. Talking of ships, the statue of Neptune on the centre stood outside on Victoria Street for many years.

It’s a deceptively spacious pub, narrow but deep with a lounge bar at the back that has windows overlooking Temple Church and Gardens.

Beer on tap when I visited last month was Butcombe, Golden IPA and Bombardier, with typical pub grub including toasties, jacket potatoes, gammon steaks and burgers.

The Shakespeare, 78 Victoria Street, Bristol, BS1 6DR