King's Head

Reached down a cobbled lane beside the war memorial on Aylesbury's Market Square, the King's Head is a coaching inn dating back to 1455 and one of the best preserved in England, cared for by the National Trust. Its fifteenth-century fabric includes rare stained-glass windows, exposed wattle and daub and the original stabling, which still frames a cobbled courtyard entered through the ancient arch where coaches once rolled in, with the Great Hall on one side. It remains a working pub, run by the Chiltern Brewery, so a visit means settling into the Farmers' Bar, with its beams, wooden floors, old benches and comfy sofas, for English ales, Rothschild wines or a hearty lunch. Reviewers single out the courtyard, a sheltered spot to sit out when the sun shines, and staff who happily talk you through the beers on tap. Two practical tips: book ahead if you want food, and there is no parking on site, with Aylesbury station about 400 yards away.