Friday, February 16, 2007

the Trip to Jerusalem




Above: The Rogue Of Sherwood Forest (1950), before he reunites his father's merry men.
Below: Richard Greene at the very start of the 1950s TV show The Adventures of Robin Hood.
"The Trip to Jerusalem" stands at the base of a sandstone rock, beneath Nottingham Castle. It is the oldest Inn in England, and served as a favourite drinking place for King Richard's Crusaders across the midlands before departing for the Holy Lands. The word "trip" in fact comes from an old English term meaning "stopping place".


Of course, as with numerous historical sites across Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire, Robin Hood and his Merry Men are said to have been frequent visitors of this establishment. That may be so, but as it is situated so very close to the soldiers in the castle, such an act of shear audacity would have required much courage indeed.
Whether or not Robin Hood actually went on the crusades is open to debate. It is highly unlikely. During those decades when the ballads were being written King Richard was seen as a much more heroic figure than today, so placing the much loved noble outlaw in his company made for a good story. Even as late as the 1950s Richard Greene's version of Robin Hood saw him returning heroically from the Holy lands in his Crusader tunic (see picture), and singing the praises of King Richard. These days people take a more balanced view of history, placing Richard's actions within context, and more recent films such as "Robin and Marian", and the 2006 BBC series, portray a Robin rather sickened and disillusioned by what happened on the Crusades.

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