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Summary

Description

Predominantly 18th century classical hotel building with possible earlier fabric dating to the 16th century; early 19th century castellated tower additions; further 19th and early 20th century alterations; late 20th century extensions to side and rear. 4-storey, complex S-plan layout with projecting round tower prominently sited to the head of the High Street and wrapping around a separate corner building to form single bay elevation to side with Venetian window. Mock painted bull-faced stucco render to main section with smooth rendered painted quoins, smooth painted render elsewhere with projecting cills.

FURTHER DESCRIPTION: 7-bay principal (E) elevation facing High Street with large tapering crenellated tower off-set centre and smaller tower to centre left section along Brown Street Lane. Small squared entrance porch to tower re-entrant angle with additional windows to ground and first floor right. Crenulated capped tower with dentilled cornice and pointed arched windows with decorative trefoil astragals. Raised, stone-patterned render to main section with smooth raised quoins smooth painted render elsewhere. Bowed window bays to rear. Two large 2 storey late 20th century extensions, one to N of principal elevation extending to the rear (W) and one to SE rear corner with rounded stair tower together forming a U-plan courtyard to rear (Hardgate).

Predominantly 4 and 12-pane glazing pattern in timber sash and case windows. 6-panel timber entrance door. Slated roofs, pantiles to 20th C sections. Large rendered stacks and one reconstructed ashlar stone stack.

INTERIOR (not seen 2013): ballroom and anteroom designed ensuite with plain Grecian plasterwork of circa 1820. Curved coffered ceiling.

Statement of Special Interest

The George Hotel is a large hotel and former coaching inn with a crenulated tower prominently sited to the E end of Haddington High Street and making a very strong contribution to the streetscape of the town. The current form of the building is largely 18th century although it is believed to have earlier fabric as a building is known to have been on the site in the 16th century.

The building has undergone changes over such an extended period. It was a simple elevation until the early 19th century when the tower was added with the crenulations possible being of a slightly later date. The assembly room section to the S side elevation was added in 1822 incorporating the large tripartite pedimented and arched ballroom window. The bullfaced stucco treatment was added to the principal elevation in the mid 20th century, a practice that was common in East Lothian at the time. The hotel is thought to have a 16th century core as it lies in the heart of the medieval burgh town. In 1764 the hotel was owned by a James Fairbain. It was the original Old Post House and also at some time called The George and Dragon. The hotel was one of the grandest buildings in the town in the 18th century when it boasted piped water to its kitchens. At some point the 20th century it was called the Castle Hotel.

The hotel was a large staging post establishment and could cater for 23 horses and 4 carriages. The former stables for the coaching inn lay to the N of the site returning to the rear to form a courtyard to the rear to Hardgate. These buildings were in a derelict state and demolished circa 1991 to be replaced with a development of a range of flats and storage accommodation.

The 1853 Ordnance Survey Town Plan shows a courtyard to the rear of the hotel enclosed by buildings on Hardgate. The plan names the building the George Inn and marks a boiler to the rear as well as a section of "ruins" suggesting there were much older buildings on the site. The 1893 Town Plan shows the courtyard infilled by a large building which is no longer evident along with the former buildings on Hardgate which were demolished after 1950. It is clear the rear of the site has undergone many changes over time.

High Street is a mixed Georgian street of three and four storeys with earlier fabric evident to some of the houses. The hotel is sited to the head of the street, off centre and wrapped around the corner.

In 1995 a painted panel was discovered and thought to be by the artist "Warrender" between 1720 to 1740, but this is not verified.

Statutory address and list description updated 2013.

References

Bibliography

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