History of The George

The George is situated on Great Queen Street. A street which holds its place within the historical tapestry of the early 17th Century. During this period, the street emerged as one of the inaugural residential districts in the Covent Garden area and was believed to be christened in honour of Queen Anne (of Denmark), consort to King James I.

Great Queen Street boasts a rich history of notable residents, with the eminent William Blake residing at number 31 from 1771, during his seven-year apprenticeship to engraver James Basire. The street also housed other luminaries, including Civil War Parliamentarian General Thomas Fairfax, composer Thomas Arne and portrait painter Sir Godfrey Kneller. Shanks and Co., renowned coachbuilders, operated their business at 70–71 Great Queen Street until 1905, when they sold the land for the construction of Freemasons' Hall.

Remarkably, half of the south side is now dominated by the Freemasons' Hall, serving as the headquarters for the United Grand Lodge of England. Acquired in 1774 the initial site encompassed a tavern house along the street with an accompanying garden leading to a second dwelling. The original Freemasons Tavern now forms part of the Grand Connaught Rooms, located just across the street. It is in this Tavern, on 26 October 1863, the Football Associated was founded and the modern game of football, as we know it, was born.

The Freemasons' Hall is the third to sit on this site. It underwent its final expansion and reconstruction in 1927 as a memorial to those who died in the Great War and for many years was known as the Masonic Peace Memorial. It is the only Art Deco building in London that is unaltered and still used for its original purpose.

Part of London’s everchanging architecture and landscape the building The George sits within was rebuilt in 1958. The pub is most likely named after George IV who was the Grand Master of the Freemasons in 1809 and King from 1820-1830.