Historic London pubs like the George Inn are a special part of visiting the city. Tucked in a courtyard just off the main street leading to London Bridge in Southwark, the pub is easy to miss in the rush of traffic and people.

Step into the cobblestone courtyard and you feel transported to another time.

The George Inn was a galleried coaching inn, and is the lone survivor of the many such inns that used to line this road, catering to travellers going between Canterbury and London.

The pub has been in operation since at least 1542, although it is likely that is was operating even earlier. At this time, there were no formal theatres, so inns also served at performance venues, their courtyard being put to use by travelling bands of players. The double tiered galleries of the pubs and inns were a fine vantage point from which to watch these performances.

Shakespeare himself most likely had his plays performed at the George Inn, at one time he lived and worked in the area, near the Southwark Cathedral. The original building burned to the ground during the Great Fire of 1676 but was rebuilt right away using the same plan.

Now owned by the National Trust, the pub is now being carefully preserved while still being used as a working pub.

The George Inn is a lovely old pub for people who appreciate a bit of character with their drink.

The interior ground floor has been divided into several connecting bars. The Middle Bar was once the Coffee Room and was a favoured spot of Charles Dickens; he mentioned the pub in this book “Little Dorrit”. The Old Bar was once the waiting room for passengers and coachmen.

The upstairs once held bedrooms, now it is a large restaurant area.

It is a very popular spot for both tourists and locals, in the warm weather there are tables set up in the courtyard making it a very pleasant place to sit. The pub serves up a fairly standard assortment of drink and pub food, although they do have their own brand of ale. The atmosphere is the real draw here, however.

If you like historic London pubs, The George Inn is the genuine article.

Visiting The George Inn

77 Borough High Street, Bankside, SE1 1NH

Telephone: 020 7407 2056

Email georgeinn@thenationaltrust.org.uk

Opening Times

Mon to Sat 11:00-23:00, Sun 12:00-10:30

Photo courtesy: Ewan-M

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