This George was erected circa 1799. There was also a George which was first documented some time in 1580, and was to grow into a major coaching inn.
A George was also recorded in 1458, one in Market Place and one in Swinesmarket, but it is hard to define its position.
During the 1830s, the Defiance horse drawn coach would leave daily early morning to reach London the same day – at the time a major feat.
It had a wooden turntable through the passageway to turn the coaches, due to the narrowness of the yard.
During WW I, the George was fined for selling during prohibited hours, as well as under the Defence of the Realm Act for not having a bedroom light shaded at 1am. It was fined £10, or fifty one days, and ordered to be registered under the Aliens Restrictions Order.
I also like this colourised picture adapted by Ron Hubble, fashionable late 1950s crowds pass by the George corner of Haymarket and Humberstone Gate.
In 1960, the George went from above to below to make way for the new shopping centre. The old Georgians had complained about their loss of building, but it was nothing compared to the 1960s replacement of the Victorian ‘Gothic’ George.
Various names followed, including Topps, Rickshaws (1980s), Red Room, Crypt, Tower Gate (in 1998), Zues (2001), Niche (2007), Ice (2013). The names seemed to change like the weather but none had much of an impact on the Leicester pub scene.
