Description

ILMINSTER

ST3614 NORTH STREET
1939-1/7/88 (West side)
23/09/50 George Hotel

GV II*

Hotel. Mid C17, refurbished in mid C18, early and late C19.
Rough Ham Hill stone ashlar, slate roof with stepped stone
coping and brick stacks to gable ends and left-of-centre,
backing onto the north wall of the carriage entrance. Long
rectangular-plan front range with extensive rear wings.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys; 9-window range. Second floor has 3/6-pane
sashes; windows to first and ground floors have keyed lintels
over horned 2/2-pane sashes in forward frames. A painted stone
doorcase to right-of-centre has a pediment, moulded achitrave,
and double doors of 3 panels; this reaches the painted
platband at first-floor sill level. The carriage entrance with
segmental arch, is below the third window from the left, and
immediately to its left are double 3-panel doors with
overlight. To far left are late C19 paired 1/1-pane sashes
with a shared sill.
The rear, facing west, has large C19 gabled extension to the
centre of the main block, 2 storeys and attic, with C19
windows and C20 entrance and door. To the right is an C18
two-storey rubblestone and slate wing which has a stone
mullioned Venetian window with intersecting glazing bars to
the top. Attached to this is an early C19 two-storey lower
wing with three 8/8-pane sashes to the centre and stone steps
with wrought-iron railings rising from the centre, to double
first-floor doors at each end. The ground floor of this wing
has 2 re-set early C17 four-light stone mullioned windows,
ovolo to the left, cavetto to the right. The late C19 wing to
the left is the rubblestone and pantile stable block which has
C20 two- and three-light windows to the ground floor, wide
planked doors to inside-right and to the hayloft above, and to
inside-left, which is flanked by fixed 3-light windows, each
with 3/3 fixed lights above. All openings to this wing have
segmental arches and rounded jambs; the west-facing gable end
is weatherboarded above planked garage doors.
INTERIOR: A late C17 fireplace with egg-and-dart moulding to
an eared architrave and a central block set in cushion
moulding to the top, stands against the wall to the left of
the main building, ie. to the right of the arch; a chamfered
cross-beam remains to the left of the main room. The first
floor has been altered; the second floor reveals a structure
of 11 bays with heavy square trenched purlins and original
jointing-in of the rear right wing. The roof, probably
repaired and boarded in the early C19, has substantial main
rafters jointed with roughly-cut plates to house the
ridge-in-notch; many common rafters are repaired, replaced or
jointed in. A straight early C18 staircase near the left end
is open-string with turned balusters, a wide swept rail and
fretted ends.
HISTORY: Always a coaching inn, The George rose to great
prosperity when a new turnpike was opened in 1809, from
Honiton through Ilminster on the route from London to Exeter.
The Duke and Duchess of Kent and the infant Princess Victoria
stayed here on their way to Sidmouth in 1819.
(Street J: The Mynster on the Ile: Taunton: 1904-: 286).

Listing NGR: ST3609414571

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17554668

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.

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