George Inn

Above postcard circa 1900, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above Christmas card, circa 1912, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. Christmas greetings being sent by the licensees of the George to (possibly) a relative named Bob. This business publicity card was signed by H & H & M Baynes. On the extreme right, a wall sign advertises Thorley's Cake but not the kind Mary Berry might tempt you with. The George, being a rural pub, was carrying an advertisement for cattle and sheep feed supplement. Meanwhile, over the front door, the pub's swing sign confirms that the George sold Rigden's Faversham Ales and Stout.

Above mentioned advert, circa 1912.

Above photo, circa 1921. Kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. Interesting photo of the George, taken in the last year or so of it being a tied house, within the estate of W. E. & J Rigden's Faversham Brewery. In 1922, Rigden's merged with George Beer's Star Brewery, Canterbury, to form George Beer & Rigden, with all brewing transferred to Faversham. Looking at the wall signs to the left of the pub, it seems that the George may have also served petrol, as well as beer! This wasn't unusual in the inter-war years but with not very many cars on the road in the 1920s/30s, its doubtful that the George's filling station would ever have been that busy.

Above photo, Tuesday 6th June 1922. Kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. The lack of any signs is probably due to this former W E & J Rigden house being made ready to receive replacement signage, following Rigden's merger with George Beer's Star Brewery, Canterbury in January 1922.

Above postcard showing the inside of the pub, 1922, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above photo, date unknown. Caption says "The George, Molash, Kent, Main London - Margate Road. "Kent's best," Fully Licensed, Prop A. F. Barrett. Phone: Challock 26.

Above photo, Christmas day 1938, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above photo date unknown.

Above photo 2014.

Above showing an ink drawing of the pub, date 2014.

Above photo, 2024, kindly sent by Sarah Williams.

Above photo, details hopefully to come. Showing licensee, name unknown, circa 2026. John (second left) Charlotte (third from the right), Karen (far right) at the Taste Of Kent award ceremony, which they have won a number of times in the last few years. Kindly sent by Sarah Williams.

Above sign left, 1980s, sign right, October 1991.

With thanks from Brian Curtis www.innsignsociety.com.

Above sign left, 2009, sign right, 2014.

Above sign, 2024.

Above photo showing the Fruit and Vegetable stall on the side of the pub in the 1950's or 1960s. Kindly sent by Sarah Williams.

From an article kindly sent by Sarah Williams.

The George, Molash.

We are very fortunate to currently have two public house in the two villages.

The building dates back to 1480 when it was built as three cottages, with the first evidence of it being a public house, I am told, in 1504, described as a timber framed building with exposed beams and plaster infill, underbuilt with painted brick and plain tile roof, it has loads of character, most records of landlords come from the census dated from the 1840s to 1911.

The George became a public house in 1504, but between 1773 and 1793 there was a coaching house called "Fleur de Luce" in the village. There are two theories about this, firstly, it was in what today is Coppins Farmhouse.

Alternatively records show that in 1789 the landlord of the "Fleur de Luce" was William Longley, but The Kentish Gazette on 23 March 1804 stated “On Tuesday last died, at Molash, Mrs Longley, wife of Mr. Longley, landlord of the “George” public house, of that place”. So as the "Fleur de Luce" had another landlord, Richard Hider, in 1793, did "The George" get a new landlord in William Longley in 1793 or was the "Fleur de Luce" renamed "The George" or were there two establishments in the village, either way it is mystery, as records of the public house predate this, I believe there were two establishments?

The 1948 London Olympic Torch Relay passed directly through the village of Molash in Kent on its way to Wembley Stadium, capturing a famous historic moment outside local landmarks including "The George" (formerly "The George Inn"), a Grade-listed former coaching inn on the A252.

A resident who recognised himself in this picture of the Olympic Torch passing through Molash in 1948 spoke about the excitement of the day.

Eric Goodwin, was only a teenager when the torch passed through...

In 2001 the pub changed landlords and John & Karen Marshall took over and with their daughter, Charlotte, turned it into a Restaurant Bar, offering highly prized food. Not only have they won the Taste of Kent Award for best Kentish pub a number of times, but Charlotte, their chef, in 2017 won the National competition for Best Pub Chef, an amazing accolade for a little village pub.

This year’s Xmas Menu will be served from 27th November to 24th December, there is also a New Year’s Eve Menu available and the ever popular Friday Fish and Chips (2 for £26), details of the menus can be found here https://thegeorgemolash.co.uk or Contact: 01233 740323.