The George Hotel Hatherleigh

The George, Hatherleigh, is back from the ashes. This country pub and dining room is now fully reopened after a £2.5m refurbishment. It is famous for offering sensational food and stylish bedrooms at a sensible price. Now back to it's former glory, we are bringing back the heart of the town. The George is located in Devon's smallest town, Hatherleigh. The pub is famous for its lively and welcoming atmosphere, and provides the highest standards of freshly cooked food, drink and effortless service. Soft modern furnishings complement the traditional and historic building features, creating a warm, inviting feel. A pub with pub values offered with style, charisma and personality. Our menu is a mix of great pub classics and modern English dishes, with sharing plates for informal dining and a great range of mains. We take pride in sourcing our produce locally where possible, and are proud of the sensational food we offer. Our popular pub can cater for up to 150 guests, which also makes it an ideal venue for private hire. The George is, or should we say was, one of the oldest pubs in the country. Built around 1450, this ancient thatched inn probably began life as a courthouse and hostel for the monks of Tavistock Abbey who owned the village and the surrounding moorland. After Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries the entire village, including its inns and taverns, was sold to the Arscott family for £14 1s 6d!Throughout the 1600s The George was one of seven Hatherleigh inns that catered for wealthy wool merchants visiting the town's sheep market. In the 1700s the inn became an important stop for the stagecoaches that thundered along the Bideford road and for the highwaymen that preyed on these hapless travellers. In the 19th Century the town fell on hard times as cotton replaced wool in Industrial Revolution's textile mills and in 1840 much of the medieval town centre was destroyed in a great fire. Incredibly The George survived the Victorian conflagration but on December 23rd 2008 this Grade II listed building was burned to the ground in a deliberate act of arson. Happily no one was hurt and the 2008 blaze is not the end of story.