The George Inn, or The George, is a
public house established in the
medieval period on
Borough High Street
Borough High Street is a road in Southwark, London, running south-west from London Bridge, forming part of the A3 route which runs from London to Portsmouth, on the south coast of England.
Overview
Borough High Street continues southwest as ...
in
Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
,
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
In a legend, Saint Georgea soldier venerated in Christianitydefeats a dragon. The story goes that the dragon originally extorted tribute from villagers. When they ran out of livestock and trinkets for the dragon, they started giving up a human tr ...
. It is possible that it was used for
Elizabethan theatrical productions (
Inn-yard theatre
In the historical era of English Renaissance drama, an Inn-yard theatre or Inn-theatre was a common inn with an inner courtyard with balconies that provided a venue for the presentation of stage plays.
Beginnings
The Elizabethan era is appropri ...
), as other galleried inns were.
A pub has existed on the site since medieval times. But in 1677, it was rebuilt after a serious fire destroyed most of Southwark. The medieval pub was situated next door to an
inn
Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...
where
Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...
set
''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
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...
visited The George, and referred to it in both ''
Little Dorrit'' and ''
Our Mutual Friend
''Our Mutual Friend'', written in 1864–1865, is the last novel completed by Charles Dickens and is one of his most sophisticated works, combining savage satire with social analysis. It centres on, in the words of critic J. Hillis Miller, quo ...
''.
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
The White Hart (" hart" being an archaic word for a mature stag) was the personal badge of Richard II, who probably derived it from the arms of his mother, Joan "The Fair Maid of Kent", heiress of Edmund of Woodstock. It may also have been a pun ...
was immediately to the north but was demolished in the nineteenth century. Immediately to the south was
The Tabard (which was described in
Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...
's ''
The Canterbury Tales''); it too was demolished in the nineteenth century.
The building is
listed Grade I
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...
on the
National Heritage List for England
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...
, and is listed in the
Campaign for Real Ale
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, England, which promotes real ale, cider and perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. With just under 155,000 members, it is th ...
's
National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors
The National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors is a register of public houses in the United Kingdom with interiors which have been noted as being of significant historic interest, having remained largely unchanged for at least 30 years, but usu ...
.
Gallery
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
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
George Inn information at the National Trust
{{DEFAULTSORT:George Inn, Southwark
Grade I listed buildings in the London Borough of Southwark
Grade I listed pubs in London
National Inventory Pubs
National Trust properties in London
Pubs in the London Borough of Southwark
Buildings and structures completed in 1676
Timber framed buildings in London
Timber framed pubs in England
George Inn
1676 establishments in England
17th-century architecture in the United Kingdom
Coaching inns
Saint George and the Dragon