The claim
A flint and timber inn on the lane through Houghton, above the Arun gap, with three buttresses propping the front wall and a garden looking towards the Downs. Walkers come off the South Downs Way and the river path; the bar keeps Marston's beers and serves food until eight most evenings.
What the records show
CAMRA lists the George & Dragon as a 13th-century Sussex pub, and the village tells of Charles II stopping here in 1651 during his flight to Shoreham. Historic England is brief and cautious: a timber-framed building with flint infill, C17 or earlier, buttressed at the front under a hipped tiled roof. No document of drinking here in the 13th century has been traced, and the listing will not commit beyond the 17th, so the early date rests on tradition rather than record. The earliest record of the trade traced here is a trade directory: Kelly's Post Office Directory of Essex, Herts, Middlesex, Kent, Surrey and Sussex for 1867 gives Houghton nine commercial entries - three grocers, two farmers, a blacksmith, a shoemaker - and one publican, Robert Cunningham, under the sign of the George. The directory calls the house the George, not the George & Dragon, in a parish of 165 people.
| Year | What | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1200 | Claimed founding | CAMRA |
| 1867 | First record of a drinking house here | Kelly's Post Office Directory of 1867 |
What to look for inside
- Buttressed timber and flint front
- Tradition of Charles II passing through in 1651
- Close to the South Downs Way and the Arun
Visiting
George & Dragon is in Houghton, England, at The Street, Houghton, Arundel BN18 9LW. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
- historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1234034
- camra.org.uk/pubs/george-dragon-houghton-112658
- www.dands.uk/ssx1867/houghton1867/
- ratings.food.gov.uk/business/1991699
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Oct 2026
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