The George Inn, or The George, is a

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 wa ...

established in the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

period on Borough High Street in Southwark,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, owned and leased by the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

. It is located about from the south side of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

near London Bridge and is the only surviving galleried London

coaching inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of tr ...

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 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 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''.

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

'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, and is listed in the Campaign for Real Ale's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.

Gallery

Image:thegeorgesouthwarksign.jpg, The sign depicts

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 soldie ...

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

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

History

Description

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links