Britain’s oldest curry house is working on a plan to stay open, as the Daily Star has recently reported. Michelin-starred Veeraswamy, faces closure after the King’s property developer refused to renew its lease.
But its legal battle with the Crown Estate has now been put on ice by a judge. Here Meg Jorsh toasts the eatery’s future success with a look at the UK’s oldest everything…
Branching out: Britain’s oldest tree is the Fortingall Yew, in Perthshire. It’s thought to be between 2,000 and 3,000 years old, although some believe it could be up to 5,000. Its trunk measured 17 metres around in 1769.
Drastic band: Until recently our oldest pop group was The Searchers, who formed in 1959 and played Glastonbury for the first time last year. Sadly the Merseybeat four-piece disbanded soon afterwards, after 68 years in the business.
Screen time: The UK’s oldest cinema is the Duke of York’s Picturehouse in Brighton, opened in September 1910. It’s well-known for the 20-foot can-can dancer legs perched provocatively on the corner of its roof.
Raising the bar: Britain’s oldest pub is often said to be Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, in St Albans, Herts., claimed to date back to 793AD. But the title is disputed, with The Bingley Arms, in Bardsey, West Yorkshire and Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, in Nottingham, among the contenders.
Sign of the times: Our oldest surviving road sign is a stone fingerpost, located near Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire, dating back to 1669. It points towards Oxford, Warwick, Gloucester and Worcester.
Stay and pray: The UK’s oldest parish church is St Martin’s in Canterbury, built in 597AD or earlier as the private chapel of Queen Bertha of Kent. Its graveyard includes the final resting place of Mary Tourtel, the creator of Rupert Bear.
Golden oldies: Britain’s oldest woman is 116-year-old Ethel Caterham, from Shipton Bellingham, Hampshire, who is also the world’s oldest verified living person. Our oldest man is Hugh Kerr, 110, from Paisley, Renfrewshire.
Art of Stone Age: Our oldest art is a series of 10 red horizontal stripes, found on the wall of the Bacon Hole cave in Gower, Swansea. According to boffins, they were painted around 17,100 years ago.
Game, set and match: The UK’s oldest football club is Sheffield FC, founded in 1857. Members drew up the game’s first detailed set of rules, known as the Sheffield Rules, which introduced features like free kicks and throw-ins.
Minty fresh: Britain’s oldest company is the Royal Mint, founded in 886AD. Originally made up of sites around the country, it moved to the Tower of London in 1279, where it stayed for several centuries, and is now based in Llantrisant, Wales.
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