George and Dragon, Broad Street, Knighton
This building dates from the 17th century. The date 1637 is inscribed in an unusual place - near the corner of the lower gable.
The George and Dragon was a coaching inn. The horses were stabled around the back, in the buildings where guests can now stay.
In one of the ground-floor rooms there are wood panels dating from the 18th century. They may have come from a church.
The pub sign hangs from a pole with ornate iron decoration. It’s clearly visible in the 1930s photo, when the inn was called the George and Dragon Hotel.
Photographs inside the pub show a picket fence around a small front garden. This was replaced by the lounge extension, uphill from the front door.
In Victorian times, beer was brewed locally and Knighton had four malt houses, where barley was turned into malt for brewing. Two of the malt houses were in Broad Street. One was next door to the George and Dragon (downhill direction) and was demolished in the 1890s for construction of the North & South Wales Bank’s new premises (on the left in the 1930s photo).
According to local legend, the spirit of a woman who lost her baby in childbirth haunts the pub. In 2013, landlords Justin and Helen Rees said they noticed many strange occurrences in the months after they took over the licence, in 2005, such as the tray of the till filling with water despite there being no leaking pipes. They said the spirit became less active once they had settled in.
Postcode: LD7 1BL View Location Map
Website of The George and Dragon (Facebook)
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