The George Hotel

The George Hotel is a timber-framed inn, likely dating to the late 15th or early 16th century, which has been extensively extended and altered in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The front of the building, facing the High Street, is divided into three distinct sections, each of two storeys, though the northernmost section has a significantly lower roofline than the southern section.

The northern section, probably dating to the 15th century, has modern half-timbering to the ground floor and tile hanging above. It features an old tiled roof. Two 18th-century canted bays with wooden glazing bars are situated, one above the entrance and one below the gable. Modern mullioned windows are visible on the ground floor. Inside, ground floor rooms retain exposed ceilings with massive beams and close-set joists. A 16th-century fireplace with a four-centred arch and carved spandrel panels is present; the carved date “1615” appears to be a relatively recent addition. One bedroom contains a king post roof.

The central section of the inn is thought to be of around 1600, but was altered in the 18th century. It has modern half-timbering to the lower storey and tile hanging to the first floor. Two 18th-century sash windows with wooden glazing bars are present. The roof, covered with Horsham slabs, extends northward over the south end of the northern section. The north gable end is tile hung. A lounge has an open fireplace with a chimney beam in the south wall, and the associated brick stack has a diagonally set shaft with capping (circa 1600), although it has been enlarged on the south side to accommodate the later southern section of the inn.

The southern section is likely from the late 17th to early 18th century and is of two storeys, rendered in stucco with a parapet. It has two late 18th or early 19th-century sash windows to the upper storey and a modern bay window to the lower storey. A Rowlandson print from 1789 depicts two upper windows with mullions, transoms, and leaded panes in this section and shows the roof with eaves. A large room extending westward behind the southern section was built as an Assembly Room in the early 19th century and has been altered since the Second World War. A modern gallows sign hangs across the road, replacing an earlier one shown in Rowlandson’s print.

The George Hotel thrived during the late 18th and early 19th centuries as a significant hostelry on the Brighton Road. Its earliest known reference is in the will of Richard Covert from 1580. In 1818, approximately 20,000 spectators gathered outside the hotel to watch a prize fight between Ned Turner and Jack Randall. The inn is also featured in Conan Doyle’s "Rodney Stone," where it serves as the location where Belcher trained Boy Jim for his fight with Crab Wilson on Crawley Down.