DESPITE the closure of many pubs and inns, there are still many interesting and historic places to socialise, quench one’s thirst or eat something.

In a competition for the oldest public house in Hampshire, there could be a number of contenders but, probably the two with the best qualifications for that title, are the Royal Oak in the city centre of Winchester and the Red Lion in the village of Chalton.

The contrasting settings of the two – one a few steps from the bustling High Street of England’s ancient capital and the other being so quiet drinkers can sit in a downland garden and listen to bird song – make no difference to the atmosphere created by the age of the buildings.

The site of the Royal Oak was a royal palace in the early days of the establishment of the Anglo Saxon monarchy, having been given to Emma as a wedding present by her husband, Ethelred, in 1002. It’s likely their son, Edward the Confessor, spent his early years in the building.

The earliest reference to a pub or inn on this site dates from 1390-1430, when an un-named tavener is recorded to have lived there.

A schedule dated 1637 records John Chase, tapster (tavener) and his wife Elizabeth. The property contained a ‘brew house’ with a brass furnace and a pump. Although most households at the time brewed ale, the inclusion of a brew house suggests that by then it was an inn, but there is no record of what it was called.

As with many other Royal Oak pubs around England, the name came from the Civil War when an oak leaf badge signified support for the Royalist cause because the future King Charles II hid in an oak tree while escaping from Cromwell’s soldiers.

More than 600 pubs in the United Kingdom are called the Red Lion, which has a number of derivations, and it’s not certain why the Chalton pub took the name.

It is believed to have been built in 1147 to house men building St Michael’s Church which it faces across the village green. The building still has a thatched roof, whitewashed walls and exposed timbers as well as a large open fire inside.

A definitive date from when the Red Lion became an inn varies, depending on which source is checked, the earliest says 14th century and other records say 16th century.

Until the turnpike road between London and Portsmouth was built – following the line of what became the A3 – the road between the inn and the church was the route used by travellers, many of whom would be grateful for a drink before or after tackling the wilds of the countryside around Butser Hill.

When the better-surfaced and faster route opened to the west of Chalton, trade at the Red Lion dropped drastically but people living in the area continued to find their way to the pub and, as motor vehicle transport developed, visitors made a point of calling to enjoy stepping back in history.

Its fame is even international. The National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, has a photograph of it taken in 1847-57.