 The claim of the Royal Oak to date from 1502 cannot be proven since, while a portion at the back is 17th-century (making it physically the oldest portion of any pub in St Ives), the pub name is more recent.The reference is to Charles II's famous escape from Cromwell's Roundheads, and Charles was restored to the throne in 1660.The "Golden Lion" was a 19th-century coaching inn.