The George Hotel

Located on the south side of the River Welland and on the old Great North Road, The George is distinguished by the old gallows sign that bridges the road outside the front door and once acted as a deterrent to the Highwayman.

For over one thousand years there has been a hostelry on this site, believed once to be owned by the Abbotts of Croyland, then passing to the Abbey of Peterborough following the Norman Conquest. Medieval remains can still be seen below the Champagne Bar and in the wine cellars, as well as a Mulberry tree in the grounds that dates back to James I.

When Elizabeth I granted the St Martins parish to Sir William Cecil, her Secretary of State, The George passed to the Burghley dynasty. In 1597, the front was rebuilt to incorporate the Burghley coat of arms. The four ground floor rooms of this time are still in use today; the York and London rooms, once the waiting rooms whilst horses were changed on their coaches, are still used today as a bar and private dining room respectively. Many additions were made during the Burghley ownership, some have been and gone, like the cock fighting pit but the assembly rooms added in 1780s have now been transformed into luxurious bedrooms, with the Old Minstrels Gallery hidden above the ceilings of bedrooms one to eight.

Famous visitors are many over the years, from Charles I and Sir Walter Scott to the current Prince of Wales and many celebrities of the current day.