In Victorian times the 17th century George Hotel was an important coaching inn for coaches bound for Bath, Bristol and Birmingham.
The Citizen. Advertisement Feature. Saturday, July 27th, 1985. On August 1st, 1982, the George Hotel, Nailsworth, started its first trading year under the ownership of the Offord family. Now, three years on, the hotel is established and well known in the area. Standing on the crossroads on the Stroud side of Nailsworth, the George continues a long tradition of looking after the needs of the local community and passing travellers. Here there is no pretence, no desire to be a French bistro or Spanish bodega. The George in Nailsworth is unashamedly English, run by locals and keeping to the finest traditions of hospitality, comfort and food.
The Offords bought the George in Nailsworth in 1981, and after renovations and alterations were completed, started trading in August 1982. Now, after three ‘run-in’ years, the future for the George looks bright. The town itself is becoming accepted as a good shopping centre, with its large catchment area and facilities. Trade at the George moves up all the time, and new customers continue to find it mainly through recommendation and reputation. Local staff have worked very hard, having dedicated themselves to the task which faced them three years ago. Now people from all over the world pay repeat visits to the George.
Mike and Pat Offord are sustained in their personal efforts by their two daughters – Anna and Lucy – and their son, Simon. All work at the George, which for them is not just a place of work, but their home.
The hotel aims to provide quality food, service and accommodation combined with a policy of value for money.
The George Bar – a very popular meeting place – provides a selection of 10 draught beers and lagers, good house wines, a range of spirits and liqueurs and an interesting choice of bar meals. The dining room is patronised by customers from as far away as Bristol and Tewkesbury and provides lunch and dinner seven days a week. The George Suite is a central venue for functions and conferences.
The George Hotel closed down in the mid 1980’s. Just before closure, ‘The tippler’, the newsletter for Gloucestershire CAMRA reported that “real ales include West Country Pale Ale at 69p a pint, Marstons Pedigree at 75p a pint and Archers Village Bitter at 64p. The beer on a recent visit (May 1984) was found to be very good.”
In March 1989 protesters campaigning against the demolition of the George Hotel managed to stop bulldozers from moving onto the site.
The Citizen: Monday March 20th 1989 – Hotel Row. Angry Nailsworth residents promised to blockade the town’s George Hotel in a last minute bid to stop its demolition today. Furious townspeople planned to park their vehicles across the way into the hotel in a last- ditch attempt to get it listed as a building of value in the streetscape to save it from redevelopment as elderly people’s apartments.
Despite attempts to save the building part of the George Hotel remained in a state of dereliction for many years. In the late summer of 2001 permission was granted for the demolition of the derelict section. Colburn Homes, the developers, replaced the George Hotel with ground floor shops and 24 apartments taking great care to design the replacement buildings in the same architectural style as the original hotel. The developers consulted old photographs to make sure than the replacement development was an almost perfect match.
Map Reference: ST851997
Licensing Details:
Owner in 1891: Walter Clark (leased Godsell & Sons, Salmon Springs Brewery, Stroud)
Rateable value in 1891: £32.0s.0d.
Type of licence in 1891: Alehouse
Owner in 1903: Godsell & Sons, Salmon Springs Brewery, Stroud
Rateable value in 1903: £32.0s.0d.
Type of licence in 1903: Alehouse
Closing time in 1903: 11pm
Landlords at the George Hotel include:
1856 G. Roberts
1885 Thomas Allen
1891,1903 Lucy Elizabeth Pockett
1906 Miss B. Pockett
1919,1927 Frederick William Barnes
1950’s-1960’s Mr Evans
1981,1985 Mike and Pat Offord
