The address of the Lower George Hotel is given as 60 Westgate Street in 1919 and 121 Westgate Street on renumbering.
The Lower George dates back to the 1500’s but it has a fine facade that dates from the 18th century.
The smell of malted barley and boiling hops must have been quite strong in this area of Westgate Street as the Lower George was only a few yards down the road from the Gloucester Brewery which had premises in Quay Street backing onto Westgate Street.
Gloucester Journal: August 10th, 1872 – Catherine Graves, a middle-aged woman, was charged with stealing a glass from the Lower George Inn, Westgate Street. William Nicholls, an ostler at the inn, said that at about half-past three on Wednesday afternoon, the prisoner went into the inn and had a glass of ale. She sat down and then having drunk the ale, took the glass away with her. She pleaded guilty and was sent for a month’s hard labour.
An advertisement in 1873 reads: ‘Lower George Hotel, Westgate Street. Proprietor J. Powell. Wines, Spirits, Burton and Home Brewed Ales of excellent quality. Good accommodation for travellers. Beds and sitting rooms on moderate terms, Good stabling and lock up yards and coach houses.’
Gloucester Journal: 3rd March 1877 – “Much of the increase in drunkenness was due to the fact that women can go to any grocer’s shop and under the pretence of buying necessities for domestic use, supply themselves with bottles from which they can insidiously drink.” -Licensed Victuallers National Defence League speaker at the Lower George Inn, Westgate Street, Gloucester.
Gloucester Journal: 12th December, 1885 – Ancient order of Druids: On Thursday night between 40 and 50 member of 96 A.O.D. sat down to a capital supper provided by Host Powell at the Lower George Inn, Westgate Street.
The Lower George Inn was a Stroud Brewery pub and later sold beers from West Country Breweries and Whitbread. In the early 1990’s the Lower George Hotel was acquired by the Wolverhampton brewers, Banks’s and the building was tastefully restored.
Banks’s sold the Lower George five or six years later to the Little Pub Company (1997). Astonishingly the pub was painted a bright orange and green and the name changed to Mad O’Roukes – a pseudo Irish theme pub. The words ‘Lower George Hotel’ were prominent in raised stone lettering across the pub between the first and second floors. This lettering was officially vandalised to read Low or Hot (Lower George Hotel).
Thankfully Gloucester City Council planning department intervened and the lettering was restored but the pub retained its ghastly shades of orange and green for a few more years.
The pubs new owners were Inn Spired and it was rebranded as the Pig Inn the City. It became a very popular real ale pub that was named ‘CAMRA in Gloucester’ Pub of the Year many times.
Unfortunately the raised stone lettering has now been permanently covered over.
This page will be updated with additional information.
Landlords at the pub include:
1830 Richard Williams
1856,1859 Daniel Smith
1873,1885 James Powell
1893, 1902 Samuel William Langston
1906 Frederick W. Smith
1919 Walter Sturgeon
1927,1939 Ernest W.J. Meredith
1949 Hal Bagwell
1954 Mel Barnett
1956 (Oct) Thomas Turner
1957 J.M. Barnett
1971, 1986 Ronald & Joyce King
1997 Andy Prestwich
1999 Mary Crosbie (Mad O’Rourkes)
2000 Andy Robertson (Pig Inn the City)
2002,2003 Mrs Eddie Roberts
2007 (Jan),2010 Martyn and Kay Penn (Pig Inn The City)
