The George Inn, Southwark

The George Inn
Former names	Gorge George and Dragon
Alternative names	The George
General information
Type	Public house
Address	Borough High Street London,SE1 United Kingdom
Coordinates	51.504182°N 0.090021°W/51.504182; -0.090021
Current tenants	Tenanted by brewery
Owner	National Trust
Technical details
Structural system	partlytimber framed
Website
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/george-inn

The George Inn,orThe George,is apublic houseestablished in themedievalperiod onBorough High StreetinSouthwark,London,owned and leased by theNational Trust.It is located about 250 metres (820 ft) from the south side of theRiver ThamesnearLondon Bridgeand is the only surviving galleried Londoncoaching inn.

History

The pub was formerly known as theGeorge and Dragon,named after the legend ofSaint George and the Dragon.It is possible that it was used forElizabethan theatricalproductions (Inn-yard theatre), as other galleried inns were.

A pub has existed on the site since medieval times. In 1677, it was rebuilt after a serious fire destroyed most of Southwark. The medieval pub was situated next door to aninnwhereChaucersetThe Canterbury Tales.

Later, theGreat Northern Railwayused the George as a depot and pulled down two of its fronts to build warehousing. Now just the south face remains.

Charles Dickensvisited The George, and referred to it in bothLittle DorritandOur 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. TheWhite Hartwas immediately to the north but was demolished in the nineteenth century. Immediately to the south wasThe Tabard(which was described inChaucer'sThe Canterbury Tales); it too was demolished in the nineteenth century.

The building islisted Grade Ion theNational Heritage List for England,and is listed in theCampaign for Real Ale'sNational Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.

Gallery

• 
  The sign depictsSaint Georgeslaying a dragon.
• 
  Secondary sign, with another depiction of Saint George slaying the dragon.
• 
• 
  Inn, 1858
• 
  Inn, 1889
• 
  rear of Inn and coach yard, 1889
• 
  tap room
• 
  coffee-room
• 
  first floor gallery
• 
  bar parlour
• 
  dining room

George Inn, Southwark, 1885 byPhilip Norman

See also

• The George Inn, Norton St Philip,another coaching inn with a galleried courtyard

Further reading

• Matz, Bertram Waldrom (1918).The George Inn, Southwark.London: Chapman and Hall.
• Brown, Pete(2012).Shakespeare's Local.London: Pan Books.

External links

• The George Innat theNational Trust
• The George Innat A London Inheritance