The George Inn, or The George, is a public house established in the medieval period on Borough High Street in Southwark, London, owned and leased by the National Trust. It is located about from the south side of the River Thames near London Bridge and is the only surviving galleried London coaching inn.

History

The pub was formerly known as the George and Dragon, named after the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. It is possible that it was used for Elizabethan theatrical productions (Inn-yard theatre), as other galleried inns were.

A pub has existed on the site since medieval times. In 1677, it was rebuilt after a serious fire destroyed most of Southwark. The medieval pub was situated next door to The Tabard Inn where Chaucer set the beginning of The Canterbury Tales.

Later, the Great Northern Railway used the George as a depot and pulled down two of its fronts to build warehousing. Now just the south face remains.

Charles Dickens visited The George, and referred to it in both Little Dorrit and Our Mutual Friend.

Description

The building is partly timber framed.

The ground floor is divided into a number of connected bars. The Parliament Bar used to be a waiting room for passengers on coaches. The Middle Bar was the Coffee Room, which was frequented by Charles Dickens. The bedrooms, now a restaurant, were upstairs in the galleried part of the building.

It is the only surviving galleried coaching inn in London. The White Hart was immediately to the north but was demolished in the nineteenth century. Immediately to the south was The Tabard (which was described in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales); it too was demolished in the nineteenth century.

The building is listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England, and is listed in the Campaign for Real Ale's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.

<gallery class="center" mode="packed">

Image:thegeorgesouthwarksign.jpg|The sign depicts Saint George slaying a dragon.

File:Secondary sign outside the George Inn, Southwark.jpg|Secondary sign, with another depiction of Saint George slaying the dragon.

File:thegeorgesouthwark.jpg

File:The George Inn in 1858.png|Inn, 1858

File:The Inn in 1889 (George Inn, Southwark).jpg|Inn, 1889

File:The rear of the Inn and coach yard as they were in 1889 (George Inn, Southwark).jpg|rear of Inn and coach yard, 1889

File:The tap room (George Inn, Southwark).jpg|tap room

File:The coffee-room (George Inn, Southwark).jpg|coffee-room

File:The first floor gallery (George Inn, Southwark).jpg|first floor gallery

File:The bar parlour (George Inn, Southwark).jpg|bar parlour

File:A dining room in the demolished wing (George Inn, Southwark).jpg|dining room

</gallery>thumb|George Inn, Southwark, 1885 by [[Philip Norman (artist)|Philip Norman]]

See also

  • The George Inn, Norton St Philip, another coaching inn with a galleried courtyard

References

Further reading

  • The George Inn at the National Trust
  • The George Inn at A London Inheritance