The George

The George public house is situated in the oldest part of the village of Meopham where Iron Age and Roman settlements have been discovered.  The earliest known record of the inn is in 1688.  The George was the centre of local government in the parish in the 18th and 19th century.

The present inn sign depicts a Hanoverian King but the George is very much older than the Hanoverian dynasty.  During the operation of the Gravesend to Wrotham Turnpike Road, a side-gate or bar was located at the junction of The Street and Wrotham Road to collect tolls from traffic between Meopham and Luddesdown and Harvel.  The bar was kept locked and when any traffic needed to use the road, the ostler from the George took the toll and unlocked the gate.  According to Bagshaw’s Directory of 1847, the George was the posting house for the village.