The claim
A tile-hung and timber-framed village pub above Tunbridge Wells, with heavy oak beams, log fires and a garden behind. It is run as a free house now, so the kitchen leans on fish, while Brakspear owns the freehold and the bar keeps village hours.
What the records show
The pub's own site calls it a 13th-century country public house and gives no year; the 1212 comes from CAMRA, whose entry describes a former medieval hall dating back to 1212, and from the Dover Kent Archives. Historic England describes something later and clearer: a late-medieval house, probably late C15, remodelled in the late C16 or early C17, its exposed framing and sandstone footings earning a Grade II* listing. The building began as a hall house, not an inn. No record of drinking here in 1212 was found, and the parts a visitor admires — the beams and the wide hearths — are three centuries younger than the date on the sign.
What to look for inside
- Late-medieval hall house behind the pub front
- Grade II* listed for its exposed timber framing
- Run by the Sankeys group of Tunbridge Wells
Visiting
George & Dragon is in Speldhurst, England, at Speldhurst Hill, Speldhurst TN3 0NN. 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/1241530
- camra.org.uk/pubs/george-dragon-speldhurst-128349
- www.dover-kent.com/2014-project/George-and-Dragon-Speldhurst.html
- ratings.food.gov.uk/business/1827923
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Sept 2026
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