George Hotel

GEORGE HOTEL

Hotel. Mid-17th century, refurbished in the mid-18th century, with further modifications in the early and late 19th century. Built of rough Ham Hill stone ashlar with a slate roof featuring stepped stone coping and brick chimney stacks to the gable ends and left-of-centre position, backing onto the north wall of the carriage entrance. The building comprises a long rectangular-plan front range with extensive rear wings.

EXTERIOR

The front elevation is three storeys tall with a range of nine windows. The second floor contains 3/6-pane sash windows. The first and ground floors have keyed lintels over horned 2/2-pane sashes set in forward frames. A painted stone doorcase positioned right-of-centre features a pediment, moulded architrave, and double doors of three panels; this element extends up to the painted platband at first-floor sill level. The carriage entrance, formed by a segmental arch, is located below the third window from the left. Immediately to its left are double three-panel doors with an overlight. At the far left are late-19th-century paired 1/1-pane sashes sharing a common sill.

The rear elevation, facing west, features a large 19th-century gabled extension to the centre of the main block. This extension is two storeys with an attic storey, fitted with 19th-century windows and a 20th-century entrance and door. To the right is an 18th-century two-storey rubblestone and slate wing with a stone mullioned Venetian window to the top, its glazing bars intersecting. Attached to this is an early-19th-century two-storey lower wing with three 8/8-pane sashes to the centre and stone steps with wrought-iron railings rising from the centre to double first-floor doors at each end. The ground floor of this wing retains two reset early-17th-century four-light stone mullioned windows, one with ovolo moulding to the left and cavetto moulding to the right. The late-19th-century wing to the left is a rubblestone and pantile stable block. This has 20th-century two- and three-light windows to the ground floor, wide planked doors to the inside-right and to the hayloft above, and to the inside-left (flanked by fixed three-light windows, each with 3/3 fixed lights above). All openings to this wing have segmental arches and rounded jambs. The west-facing gable end is weatherboarded above planked garage doors.

INTERIOR

A late-17th-century fireplace with egg-and-dart moulding to an eared architrave and a central block set in cushion moulding stands against the wall to the left of the main building, to the right of the arch. A chamfered cross-beam remains to the left of the main room. The first floor has been altered. The second floor reveals a structure of 11 bays with heavy square trenched purlins and original jointing-in of the rear right wing. The roof, probably repaired and boarded in the early 19th century, has substantial main rafters jointed with roughly-cut plates to house the ridge-in-notch; many common rafters are repaired, replaced, or jointed in. A straight early-18th-century staircase near the left end is open-string with turned balusters, a wide swept rail, and fretted ends.

HISTORY

The George was always a coaching inn. It rose to great prosperity when a new turnpike was opened in 1809, running from Honiton through Ilminster on the route from London to Exeter. The Duke and Duchess of Kent and the infant Princess Victoria stayed here in 1819 whilst travelling to Sidmouth.