The George Inn: 14th Century Gem in Norton St. Philip
The George Inn is a 14th-century Grade I listed gem in Norton St. Philip, near Bath.
With a history dating back to 1397, The George Inn is one of Britain’s oldest taverns.
Having recently undergone a full makeover and preservation project, The George offers beautiful decor and furnishings alongside many original features and antiques from the inn’s fascinating past.
The historic inn also offer 13 charming newly decorated bedrooms – the perfect base to explore the village, Bath and the Somerset surroundings.
The rooms range from Twin, Double, King, and Four-Poster.
Pictured above is the popular Coach Suite, offering lovely views and free WIFI (dogs are welcome too).
Outside, the Tudor inn features a beautiful beer garden, with spectacular views across Norton St Philip and the surrounding countryside.
The building has also been used as a setting for popular films, such as The Remains of the Day, Tom Jones, and The Canterbury Tales.
The George Inn was originally built as a wool store for Hinton Priory at nearby Hinton Charterhouse.
It was also used to accommodate travellers and merchants coming to the annual wool fairs that were held in the village from the late 13th century.
Hinton Priory was one of the ten medieval Carthusian houses (charterhouses) in England.
The inn was later used as the headquarters of Monmouth's army, during the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685, after his retreat from Bath.
In the aftermath of the failed rebellion, Judge Jeffreys used the George Inn as a courtroom and conducted 12 executions on the village common.
The inn later became part of the stagecoach route between London and the south west.
The stagecoach as we know it first appeared on England’s roads in the early 16th century.
A stagecoach is so called because it travels in segments or “stages” of 10 to 15 miles.
At a stage stop, usually a coaching inn, horses would be changed and travellers would have a meal or a drink, or stay overnight.
The first coaches were fairly crude and little better than covered wagons, generally drawn by four horses, like the image below.
In 1673, it took eight days to travel by coach from London to Exeter!
On 12 June 1668, the noted diarist Samuel Pepys, with his wife and servants, passed through Norton St Philip on their way to Bath from Sainsbury.
Today, it's now a lovely Tudor Inn (dog friendly), open daily from 8am.
The inn serves meals and also offers accommodation, for those wanting to soak up the historic atmosphere.
Behind the bar, you’ll find a great selection of wine and cocktails, alongside a wide range of craft beer, real ale and cider from their award-winning Butcombe Brewery.
Among the various facilities of this property are free WiFi, a bar and on-site dining. Guest rooms will provide guests with private bathrooms.
A Full English or continental breakfast is served daily at the property.
Couples particularly like the location — they rated it 9.3 on Booking.com for a two-person trip.
Nearby must-see attractions include Longleat Safari Park, Stonehenge, and the Roman Baths.
This venue had a solid ‘four star’ average review on TripAdvisor.
One person recently wrote: "Beautiful views from the garden over the cricket pitch and pretty church, quintessentially English view.
“Service was good and very helpful staff generally, our food was tasty and the ingredients were good quality."
Another person added: “If you are looking for a quintessential old English Pub dripping in history then look no further.
”The staff were extremely welcoming and the food was exquisite, I would highly recommend the George Inn and their Game pie.”
If you'd like to visit this wonderful Inn, the address is: High Street, Norton St Philip, Somerset, England, BA2 7LH.
Norton St Philip is an attractive historic village in Somerset, just a short bus or car journey from Bath. It's a wonderful place to visit.
Another pub that claims to be England’s oldest inn is Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem - built in 1189.
This ancient pub, in Nottingham, is grade II listed and it was built into the rocks underneath Nottingham castle.
The pub features several bars, cosy nooks and snug lounges filled with curiosities and relics of Nottingham's history.
You can read more about it HERE.
If you enjoyed this blog post, please follow Exploring GB on Facebook for daily travel content and inspiration.
Don't forget to check out our latest blog posts below.
Thank you for supporting Exploring GB.
