George and Devonshire, Chiswick, W4 (4794395278)

The George and Devonshire is a

Grade II listed 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 Irel ...

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

at Burlington Lane,

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...

, London. It was built in the 18th century, but the architect is not known. The pub claims that it dates back to 1650. In the 17th century, the pub on this site was named "The George", probably after

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

, England's patron saint. John Thompson's brewery, forerunner of the nearby

Griffin Brewery Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick in the west of London was a family-run business from its foundation in 1845 until 2019. In that year, the brewing division of Fuller, Smith & Turner PLC was sold to the Japanese international beverage giant Asahi. ...

, acquired the building in 1791. By 1826, the pub had been renamed to "The George and Devonshire", after the

Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has be ...

who owned the nearby

Chiswick House Chiswick House is a Neo-Palladian style villa in the Chiswick district of London, England. A "glorious" example of Neo-Palladian architecture in west London, the house was designed and built by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (1694– ...

. It is his

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

that now adorns the building. The pub is the last in the former Old Chiswick village by the river Thames. A legend tells that smugglers of rum had a secret passageway from the pub's cellar to the cottages that once lined the Thames below St Nicholas Church. The pub serves beer from the Griffin Brewery next door.

References

{{Pubs in London Chiswick Buildings and structures in Chiswick Pubs in the London Borough of Hounslow Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Hounslow Grade II listed pubs in London