Summary

The George Inn is the only remaining galleried inn left in London. It stands on the site of an Inn which existed in 1542 and probably earlier in the medieval period. The present building dates from 1677 and originally surrounded three sides of the courtyard.

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Description

Timber frame and brick inn built in 1677 after the previous George Inn was destroyed in the Southwark Fire of the previous year. The present (surviving) structure formed the south range of a coaching inn ranged round a quadrangle.

Exterior. - 3 storeys with dormers. The west half has 2 tiers of galleries at the 1st and 2nd floors, the lower supported on cantilevered beams and the upper on wooden Doric columns. The wall behind is partly brick and partly timber. There are windows overlooking the gallery and a staircase at the eastern end. The eastern section, with a 9-window range, is chiefly of limewashed bricks with storey bands. A variety of glazing patterns, including flush 18th century sashes, sliding sashes, casements and windows with mullions and transoms. Boxed eaves to the brick range: the galleried section terminates in a 4-part facia. The rear or south is reported to be brick faced and features a large projecting stack. The windows here appear to be the remnants of an earlier phase of construction.

Interior. - The internal layout of the building has been much modified from its original form. Despite this, there remain a significant number of historic features that contribute to the understanding of the building’s development over time. The earlier features, including most of the historic fixtures and fittings are concentrated within the western parts of the building, the eastern end having been substantially rebuilt in 1937.
Within the galleried part of the building, the rear (south) wall has three chimney stacks, which despite having been rebuilt to varying degrees, are original to the building. Each of the chimneys originally had a fireplace on each of the three principal floors. The first and second floors largely preserve their original layout which would have comprised three bedrooms at each level, accessed independently from one another via the galleries. The ground floor, however, has been much modified and it is not clear whether the layout on the ground floor mirrored that above, or whether the rooms at this level had a communal arrangement of space. The ungalleried part of the building is likely to have served a more communal function, on the ground floor at least. The present room layout appears to be the result of late 18th/early 19th and later modifications, but on the basis of surviving chimneystacks and other elements, the original configuration probably essentially comprised two large rooms forming a kitchen and hall.

Historical Note - The original Inn dates back at least to the 16th century. In addition to its function as a coaching inn, part of it came to be used as offices for the Great Eastern Railway Company, which eventualy aquired the entire site from Guy's Hospital. The north range was pulled down by the Company in 1889. In 1937 it was given to its present owner, the National Trust. (1) (2)

References :-
Monograph: Cherry, B. & Pevsner, N. 1983. The Buildings of England: London 2 South England pp 587
Monograph: 1989. The George Inn: An Illustrated Souvenir.
Article in monograph: Stow, J. 1912. the Survey of London p367
Monograph; Matz, B.W. 1918, The George Inn, Southwark, A Survival of the Old Coaching Days

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