Type of country inn surrounded by old stuff (8)
I believe the answer is:
republic
'type of country' is the definition.
'republic' can be an answer for 'country' (I've seen this before). I'm unsure of the 'type of' bit.
'inn surrounded by old stuff' is the wordplay.
'inn' becomes 'pub' (both can mean a drinking establishment).
'surrounded by' is an insertion indicator.
'old stuff' becomes 'relic' (relic is a kind of stuff. I am not sure about the 'old' bit.).
'pub' inserted inside 'relic' is 'REPUBLIC'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for republic that I've seen before include "Form of government without a monarch" , "State without monarch" , "Nation with a president as head of state" , "Nation in which the head of state is elected" , "See 17" .)