St George's Day: England's great pubs Lord Nelson, Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk nelsonslocal.co.uk Drinks come straight from the tap room and ale straight from the cask at this quaint pub opposite the village cricket green. Burnham Thorpe is the birth place of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson and the pub dates back 370 years. Square and Compass, Worth Matravers, Dorset squareandcompasspub.co.uk Run by the same family for the last 100 years, this is a firm favourite with walkers along Dorset's Jurassic coastline, with far-reaching views to the sea from a large garden filled with stone tables and the odd wandering chicken. Drinks are served through an old-fashioned hatch. In summer evenings there is live folk music in a temporary marquee but the year-round attraction is the tiny adjacent fossil museum, with its impressive array of skeletal finds. Spaniards Inn, Hampstead, London thespaniardshampstead.co.uk A 16th-century coaching inn with an esteemed literary reputation, the Spaniards is full of atmospheric nooks and is supposedly where Keats wrote Ode to a Nightingale. Charles Dickens also gave a nod to the pub in The Pickwick Papers. Conveniently placed to offer a well-deserved beverage after a stroll, in summer the garden buzzes with walkers snacking on barbecued food and there is even a dog wash for Hampstead Heath's multifarious canine population. The Green Dragon Inn, Upper Wensleydale, Yorkshire greendragonhardraw.com The owner of this historical pub is also a "waterfall keeper," granting entry to Britain's highest single-drop waterfall - Hardraw Force - out one side of the pub (for a £2 fee). In September there is a brass band contest that has been running for 130 years, the music from which echoes along the gorge. The George Inn, Southwark, London nationaltrust.org.uk/george-inn This medieval pub has a distinctive white galleried exterior which is the last of its kind in London. Set back from the main road near Borough Market, it is owned by the National Trust, while leased to a private company, and dates from the 17th-century. It was formerly a coffee house, visited by Dickens, and gets a mention in Little Dorrit. Kirkstone Pass Inn, Cumbria kirkstonepassinn.com Despite having a truly bleak and blustery location, this is only England's third highest inn (the Tan Hill Inn in Swaledale, Yorkshire, is the highest) but, with more than 500 years of history, it's nearly as old as the peaks that surround it. Hot, homemade meals, an open fire and an attached bunkhouse tempt walkers to put off leaving until morning. Birch Hall Inn, Whitby, Yorkshire beckhole.info/bhi.htm It may be tiny but this country lane pub somehow manages to squeeze a sweet shop in between its two bars. It also serves cask beer and offers a basic menu, which includes "beer cake." The cottage, around since the 1600s, is visible in a painting by W F Wells (1762 - 1836). The Grenadier, Hyde Park, London www.taylor-walker.co.uk With a smart red and blue painted exterior, The Grenadier would stand out in any parade. Sat snugly on Belgrave Square near Buckingham Palace, the pub, built in 1720, was first used as a mess for the Duke of Wellington's Grenadier Guards, hence the red guard box outside. The Llandoger Trow, Bristol If these walls could talk they'd adopt a gruff West Country drawl and sing sea shanties. This dockside pub was a favourite of pirates back in 1664. Its attractive gables are timber-beamed, with plenty of benches outside for summer drinking. One of the oldest pubs in Bristol, it's awash with myths of secret tunnels and is reputedly where Daniel Defoe met a sailor and was inspired to write Robinson Crusoe. Prospect of Whitby, Wapping, London taylor-walker.co.uk With beginnings in 1520, this is the oldest riverside pub in London, once a notorious hangout for smugglers and thieves. Samuel Pepys, Dickens (again) and Turner are all said to have drunk here. Inside is a rare pewter-top bar, outside is a beer garden and terrace that overlook the Thames. The Mortal Man, Troutbeck, Cumbria themortalman.co.uk The surrounding fells provide wonderful views from this Lakeside inn, established in 1689, and make it a honey pot for amblers seeking local ales. There's a large beer garden and log fires light up the many crannies inside. The name comes from a medieval proverb. Blue Anchor, Hammersmith, London blueanchorlondon.com Another pub with literary connections. The composer Gustav Holst wrote the Planets Suite in this fine riverside establishment, of which the oldest traceable record is a licence for the premises issued in 1722. More regular patrons however were the sailors and boat builders that plied the Thames during that time. A great place for whiling away a sunny afternoon.