Owners Katie and Alex Clarke have worked tirelessly to reopen this 16th-century inn, situated in historic Rye, after it was badly damaged by fire in 2019. Katie was once a set designer on films including Nanny McPhee and there’s a dramatic feel to much of the place, post refurb. A 500-year-old building like the main one here lends itself to cosy nooks such as the wood-panelled lounge heated by a ceramic stove that’s just inside the main door. Other standouts are a shell-grotto-style women’s loo and antique sailcloth wall coverings in the restaurant. There’s still a proper boozer-style bar, the Dragon, and the courtyard is a lovely relaxed spot.
Overall score 7/10
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Rooms and suites
Score 8/10
Interiors successfully tread the tricky line between being lively and fun and being OTT. Across the 34 sleeping quarters you’ll find patterned wallpapers, bright paints, tapestry headboards and large free-standing copper tubs, many inside the bedrooms. It works because everything is tempered with sober touches — mid-century chairs, antique ornaments, white-painted clapboard walls — in thought-through layouts. Rye is an artists’ town and it shows on the walls here, with lots of local works. Mugs are from the Rye Pottery while Rye Chocolates provides the complimentary Venezuelan bars. No wonder Hollywood actors stay at the George when filming in the south east — another George, George Clooney, once booked Room 32, for instance.
Food and drink
Food 7/10
Alex is the brother of Moro cook Sam Clark and a concern for good food obviously runs in the family. Dinner menu inclusions here — whipped cod’s roe; radishes and butter — reveal a team that has an eye on recent trends. Yet there are still Josper-grill-tender burgers and steaks, fish and chips and seafood, with much made of local produce and south-coast fishing-boat catches. Breakfast is great too — spinach and potato hash with mushrooms, fried egg and black pudding will set you up for the day, or at least until afternoon tea in the sugar-pink art deco parlour.
What else is there?
Score 3/10
That beautiful ballroom, complete with a minstrel’s gallery and ornithological de Gournay wallpaper, can be hired for weddings and other celebrations. Also worth a mention is the impressive service; no mean feat in these days of staffing crises. Not only does the George support its community — beers, ales and ciders from Kent and Sussex are on offer, and the £2 bottled water charge goes entirely to regional charities — but staff also have excellent local knowledge. Take advantage.
Where is it?
Score 8/10
On Rye’s High Street, the George is a heart-of-the-community stalwart in the pretty town. Katie has certainly taken advantage of all the nearby antique and secondhand shops (none have any vintage mirrors left, she reckons) and guests have a wide choice of trendy to twee shops on hand — from well-stocked book and vinyl stores to pie shops and cool bakeries. The latter might be particularly handy since the George’s room rates don’t include breakfast. Besides beguiling looks, Rye also has churches, castles and towers to climb, all worth it for the views over a once-less-distant coast. Camber Sands is close by, as is the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.
Price Room-only doubles from £125
Restaurant Mains from £14
Family-friendly Y
Dog-friendly N
Accessible Y
