George Inn

Historic coaching inn that no longer exists

Location of plaque: 19 Coney Street, York

GIVEN the number of empty shops on what was once York's main high street, Coney Street could do with some good PR.

But does that justify writing about Next in a column devoted to York's history and heritage?

Yes. Because the building where Next now stands hasn't always been Next.

In Elizabethan times, an important man by the name of Ralph Rokeby, who was Secretary of the Council of the North (effectively the seat of government for the north of England), lived in a house roughly where Next now is.

But for about 250 years from 1614 onwards the building which once stood here was one of York's most famous coaching inns - The George.

Before the arrival of the railways, long-distance travel in England was slow and uncomfortable. The great age of the stage coaches came in the 18th century, with the introduction of 'turnpike roads' which allowed for the collection of tolls. This meant a slightly better network of roads than the rutted dirt tracks that came before them could be developed.

A network of coaching routes was established, linking the main towns of Britain. The coaches proceeded in 'stages' of 10 to 15 miles a time (hence the name), stopping regularly to change horses, or to allow passengers to rest or stay the night. A new type of building sprang up at these staging posts: the coaching inn.

York had a number of large coaching inns: with the Black Swan and The George on Coney Street amongst the most important.

The first London to York coach ran in 1706, and took four days to make the journey.

"All that are desirous to pass from London to York, or from York to London...let them repair to the Black Swan in Holbourn in London or the Black Swan in Coney-street in York...at both which places they may be received in a Stage Coach every Monday, Wednesday and Friday which performs the whole Journey in Four Days (if God permits)," ran a contemporary advert.

As one of York's leading coaching inns, The George had its share of celebrated guests: among them the architect John Vanbrugh, who stayed at the inn while he was designing Castle Howard.

The inn's most famous guests, however - at least as far as the people of today are concerned - were undoubtedly Charlotte Bronte and her sister Anne. With their friend Ellen Nussey they were travelling from Haworth to Scarborough for the sake of Anne's health, and stayed at The George on the night of May 24/25, 1849.

Anne had consumption, or TB. In a letter from Charlotte, she was described as ‘very much emaciated...the least exertion brings a shortage of breath.’ Anne wanted to visit the Minster before she died: a visit described in a letter Ellen wrote. "The Minster was an overwhelming pleasure, not for its imposing and impressive grandeur only, but because it brought before her (Anne's) susceptible nature a vital sense of the greatness of our divine architect," Ellen wrote.

Sadly, it didn't help with Anne's health. She died in Scarborough on May 28 and is buried there in St Mary’s churchyard.

The George itself didn't survive much longer. A postcard shows it was still standing in 1867, but it seems to have been demolished in 1869 when Leak & Thorp moved onto the site. Only fragments of the original coaching inn now remain, among them a single Tuscan column.

Stephen Lewis

For the stories behind more York Civic Trust plaques, visit yorkcivictrust.co.uk