George Hotel

 

The George Hotel

Customers should be prepared to be pampered is the promise offered by Marilyn Harris, the licensee of the George, Brailes in North Oxfordshire. The George is a sympathetically refurbished Grade II listed coaching inn with elements from 16th to 18th centuries. Marilyn has ambitious plans to make this 16th century grade II listed pub a centre for village life, a place for fine dining and a comfortable hotel ideal for tourists and business travellers.

“We want to embrace village life and make the pub a nice environment where everyone can relax. We will have good food at sensible prices, good Hooky beer and a selection of excellent wines,” said Marilyn. “The support I have had from locals is fantastic. They have made me feel at home here,” she said. Over the coming months the restaurant will be redecorated and the bedrooms transformed. A menu has yet to be prepared but she will offer the very best of English food prepared with local produce.

A cricket team has already been formed and she is looking for regular fixtures against other Hooky pubs next year. And for those that do not like cricket they will be able to join her golf club instead. The pub will continue to support its teams in darts, dominies and Aunt Sally leagues. Dogs and children are welcome and there is a large non-smoking room.

Outside the garden and conservatory will be re-modelled and there are tentative plans for a jazz weekend. Marilyn is also hoping to organise art weekends too. Bookings from walking groups are welcome – and they can leave their vehicles in the large car park before returning for a well-earned lunch. “The George is about comfort, good service, excellent standards all at a reasonable cost,” she said.

Brailes is a large village along the B4035 with a huge variety of historic buildings to see. The church site is a thousand years old and the existing building dates back to the early 1300's. Known as St. George's Church it has the second largest six bell peal in the world. The tenor bell weighs one and a half tons. Just south of the village you will find the earthworks of a medieval castle