The George Hotel and Pilgrims' Inn in

Glastonbury Glastonbury ( , ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than across the River ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, England, was built in the late 15th century to accommodate visitors to

Glastonbury Abbey Glastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. Its ruins, a grade I listed building and scheduled ancient monument, are open as a visitor attraction. The abbey was founded in the 8th century and enlarged in the 10th. It wa ...

. It has been designated as a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. It is claimed to be the oldest purpose built

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

in the

South West of England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of the nine official regions of England, regions of England in the United Kingdom. Additionally, it is one of four regions that altogether make up Southern England. South West England con ...

. Having once been the Pilgrims' Inn of Glastonbury Abbey, by the mid-nineteenth century the building was known as the George Hotel. The current name preserves both. The first record of the building is from 1439 when the tenant was N. Kynge. In 1493 Abbot John Selwood gave a "new" building to the abbey chamberlain. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries it became the property of the

Duke of Somerset Duke of Somerset, from the county of Somerset, is a title that has been created five times in the peerage of England. It is particularly associated with two families: the Beauforts, who held the title from the creation of 1448, and the Seymours ...

. By 1562, when a 21-year lease on the building was taken out by George Cowdrey, it was described as "in such great ruin that it is likely that in default of repair within a few years the rent will not be answered" but included "six featherbeds". In 1658 the property was divided and a horsemill installed to grind

malt Malt is any cereal grain that has been made to germinate by soaking in water and then stopped from germinating further by drying with hot air, a process known as "malting". Malted grain is used to make beer, whisky, malted milk, malt vinegar, ...

. The building was also used for meetings and inquiries for example by Royal Commissioners (in 1672) and the Quakers (in 1691). The front of the three-storey building is divided into three tiers of panels with traceried heads. Above the right of centre entrance arch are three carved panels bearing the coats of arms of the Abbey and of

King Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

. The building is panelled and stone faced, with the stone work resembling that normally created in wood at the time of its construction. The stone columns reflect the arrangement of halls and chambers within the building. In front of the roof gables is a

crenellated A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals ...

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...

with a small

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

above. The interior includes a stone

newel A newel, also called a central pole or support column, is the central supporting pillar around which a helical staircase winds. It can also refer to an upright post that supports or terminates the handrail of a stair banister (the "newel post") ...

staircase and beneath the bar are large cellars. It is believed to be haunted.

References

Notes Bibliography * {{Refend Commercial buildings completed in the 15th century Grade I listed buildings in Mendip District Hotels in Somerset Grade I listed pubs in Somerset Glastonbury Grade I listed hotels Reportedly haunted locations in South West England

See also

References