George Tavern, London

A grand corner pub containing some remarkable tiled panels on one wall.

The George Tavern occupies a commanding position at a busy crossroads on Commercial Road. It was built in the 1820s, remodelled in 1862 and then underwent an interior re-fit in 1891 by R. A. Lewcock. It has unfortunately had almost all of its interior features removed but earns a place on the Inventory because it retains on one wall a marvellous series of three large tiled panels containing ravishingly colourful imagery. The left and right panels depict the eponymous monarch flanked by two putti. The large central image shows the pub in an earlier incarnation (when it was called the Halfway House) with a horse-drawn haywain passing by. Its caption – “Ye George Tavern in ye Olden Time. 1654” - demonstrates how the Victorians loved to promote a nostalgic concept of “old England”.  The bar servery, which is modern, has been moved to the rear wall on which the tiles are mounted, thus making them easy to miss. But they reward close scrutiny.

The George is a much-loved venue for live music and since 2008 has been the subject of a widely-publicised – and successful - campaign to stop the development of flats adjacent to it, which would have caused the pub’s closure.