Island Life June July 2015 June July 2015 | Page 76

FOOD

The George Hotel:
steeped in history
Y

armouth’s George Hotel has a
fascinating past going back over
almost three and a half centuries,
so it’s steeped in colourful tales of
intrigue, politics and romance.
It was built in 1670 as a home for
Admiral Sir Robert Holmes, the Governor
of the Isle of Wight, who decided not to
live in his official residence, Carisbrooke
Castle, but to transfer the seat of power
to Yarmouth, closer to the sea.
One of the conditions of his
Governorship was that he was entitled
to keep two-thirds of the value of any
ship and her cargo that he was able to
capture in the Isle of Wight waters. Over
the following 20 years, he conducted a
thriving business, tantamount to piracy.
One famous visitor to The George on
three occasions between 1671-77 was
King Charles II, who had connections with
local man Sir Robert Holmes.
The Holmes family lived in Yarmouth
until 1764 – when the last resident,
Thomas, Lord Holmes, built a grand new
house at Westover leaving his Yarmouth
home to become The George Inn, named

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in honour of King George III.
The first licensee was John Wilson, who
established The George as one of the
most popular inns in town. When he
died in 1780 his widow, Margaret, took
over the license.
Typical of the success of The George
Inn is that it became the accepted
rendezvous of the Corporation (the
men who controlled the town) and after
Council meetings it was to The George
that they repaired for refreshment.
In 1784, the Guest of Honour at
the annual dinner was Lieutenant
Charles Cunningham Crook of HMS
Expedition, which was lying in Yarmouth
Roads. When it was
over, Lieutenant Crook
staggered back to his
ship taking the box
containing the official
town records, believing
that it contained further
bottles for his enjoyment.
On discovering his
mistake, he threw the box
overboard and the records
were lost.
In 1897, the year of
Queen Victoria’s Diamond
Jubilee, the name of The
George was changed to
the Pier Hotel, although
this proved so unpopular

One famous visitor to
The George on three
occasions between
1671-77 was King
Charles II, who had
connections with
local man Sir Robert
Holmes.

that by the late 1920’s it was changed
back to The George – which continues to
this day to play a leading part in the life of
the town.
To hear more on The George’s history,
visit on September 25 for the Castle
and Isla’s fine dining event. Kevin Shaw,
a local historian will be there to give
an informative and fascinating talk
and tour of Yarmouth Castle and The
George. Meet on the Castle’s gun deck
for canapés & champagne, enjoy the talk
& tour before returning to Isla’s for a 5
course tasting menu. The cost is £75 per
person, to book call 01983 760331.