The George, George Street
“Here on George Street, I was once pretty famous, you know. I’ve had rich owners and high-born guests. Not only that, but I gave my name to the whole street.
Originally I was called the George and Dragon, and in the 1660s the landlord issued tokens with a picture of Saint George on them, that could be used like coins to pay for food and drink.
In 1446 the Lord High Admiral of England himself paid a rent of 6 shillings for me, and in 1484 the Abbot of the time recognised how well-respected I was by granting a licence for mass to be celebrated on my premises for the benefit of guests.
There is a rumour that an underground passage used to run from my cellars to the Abbey.
In the early 1800s I was a coaching inn and ran my own coach service to London and back every day. You can still see the archway where the coaches came in and out. Commercial travellers knew me well in those days. It’s now 80 years since I was a hotel, but sometimes I do miss the hubbub of earlier days.”
Click here to read the research from our Volunteers on The George and The Tudor Tavern:
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