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Picture source: Hania Franek

The Royal George was situated on King Street. An ancient hostelry and former coaching inn, the George & Dragon was renamed the Royal George following a visit in 1832 from the future Queen Victoria. Some scenes in the 19th century classic Crawford by Elizabeth Gaskell were set in the Royal George. The grade-II listed building dates back to the late 18th century. It closed in 2001.

Listed building details:

Coaching inn and hotel. Late C18 with later additions and alterations, possibly incorporating structural remains of an earlier building. Brick with Welsh slate roof. PLAN: deep plan comprising 3 parallel ranges, the rear range forming the assembly-rooms lit by 4 tall round-arched windows. Circular wig-room in wing expressed externally as shallow projecting bow. EXTERIOR: 3 storeys, 4-window range. Main entrance off covered way which runs through the building to the right. Segmental archway with stuccoed voussoirs and quoins to covered way, with paired 4-pane sash windows above with stuccoed keys to flat-arched gauged brick heads. Late C19 2-storeyed canted bay window to the left of the entry, and projecting full-height 2-window range beyond. INTERIOR: assembly room and circular 'wig room' to rear  urvive substantially unaltered from late C18. Plaster work in assembly room comprising low dado and tall wall panels, with rosette frieze below cornice, and a high frieze over, a repetitive design of garlands and wreaths. Musical emblems in the triglyph frieze above. Plaster medallions to ceiling. Coved recess beneath gallery in end wall, with ornamental plasterwork forming architrave. Pair of fireplaces in long wall, with musical motifs in entablature, and fluted shafts each side. Similar, but less ornate plaster-work in present dining room which has Palladian window in gable end. Late C18 staircase with moulded tread ends, turned spindles and swept and moulded rail.

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