The History of TOG

The Old George was built by the Gilbertine Monks in the early 12th century in the heart of the village. Their work can be seen above the inglenook hearth in the main bar where a hand carved mantelpiece and an intricate beam which stretches across the width of the room.

After the monks had vacated, the Snug bar became a Leper colony to segregate the sufferers from their fellow men. By the fireplace, there is still a tiny Leper’s hole which food was passed to the victims.

Two centuries later, the Snug was used as a jury room where the justices met to pass sentence to local criminals. Thieves could be hung in those days and the village hanging tree stood outside on the triangular green.

Rumour also has it that Dick Turpin hid in the chimney of the tavern on his ride to York and tethered his horse to the ‘hanging tree’, which apparently stood there until the early part of the twentieth century.

In the original cellar the temperature only varies between one or two degrees throughout the year, as there are three natural springs which (until the floor was covered with concrete) bubbled across room to drain away in one corner. The monks also built a tunnel from the tavern to the church, which has been bricked in as it became unsafe.