Description

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CASTLE COURT EC3 (South side)
George and Vulture Restaurant including No 3

(Formerly listed as George and Vulture Public House including No 3, previously listed as George and Vulture Public House)

20.7.71

No 2 - former public house, coffee-house and chop-house, now a restaurant. Early C18, refronted early C19 and later alterations; originally with eastern wing in George Yard, now demolished. Stucco.

Four-storeys and cellar. Five windows. Channelled stucco, ground floor extended forward with glazed penthouse roof. Central round-arched entrance with fluted pilastered architrave and keystone, fanlight and panelled doors. To each side a round-arched architraved window with keystone. Upper floors, recessed sashes; second floor with Art Nouveau stained glass to lower sections. Portland stone cornice at third floor level. Parapet. Left hand return forms wall of passage to George Yard with segmental arched entrance having Doric half columns. Two parish boundary plaques inscribed "SEK 1814" and "41/S,MC/1830". Narrow right angled elevation to George Yard, mid C19 stucco with dressings and narrow passage through ground floor Bengal Court.

Interior has early C19 cast iron Corinthian columns supporting first floor where ground floor extends forward. Ground floor has oak panelled dado and seats and carved oak overmantle with scrolled pediment, inset clock and painting of mail coach; white veined brown marble fire surround. All late C19 in C18 style. Dogleg stair having landing at first floor level. Second and third floor flights early C18; closed string with moulded cornice, column newels, turned balusters and moulded handrail with flat caps to newels. Moulded dado rail and skirting follows line of stairs. Flight to first floor probably later, closed string, turned balusters, moulded handrail, bottom newel a short column on foliar carved base. Inserted in landing string over first flight, a small carved C18 wooden round-arched aedicule with floral enrichment to head and ribbon and floral drops to moulded wings. Landing has moulded cornice with frieze of moulded plaster festoons. Upper floors with C18 style fireplaces, probably C19, first floor back room fireplace with late C19 blue and white Aesop Fable minton tiles. Many rooms with box cornices.

No 3 - late C19 house with shopfront to right and new part of restaurant. Stucco. Two storeys and attic, single window. Ground floor with good late C19 shopfront with pilasters, panelled stallboard, small panes and foliated fascia brackets. Associated with many literary figures including Charles Dickens.

Listing NGR: TQ3291881069

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• George and Vulture at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q12404791

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)