The British love a good argument over a pint, and what could be a better topic than which pub deserves to be called the nation’s oldest?

It’s a touchy subject - there’s possibly no more cherished symbol of Britain than a snug pub with a fire crackling in the corner.

And if it’s ancient, well, that’s really the froth on the ale.

There are several contenders for the crown of Britain’s oldest inn.

The problem is how to judge them.

“Do you take the age of a given pub from when the current building was built or when the earliest reference to it dates from?” asks Pub writer and historian Pete Brown in his book “Shakespeare’s Local.”

Or do you just order another round?

Each of these very venerable British inns has a claim to being the oldest.

Visiting all of them could be fun but - word of advice - buy the locals a pint before you start examining the evidence.

Read - Britain's oldest pub - who deserves the crown?