The George Inn, Newington, Kent (A 17th century town house)

The George Inn lies along the north side of Newington High Street close to Church Lane. It was in use as a public house before a severe fire in February 1998 destroyed much of the building. An archaeological survey of the fire-damaged remains was undertaken by the Trust in January 2000 at the request of Swale Borough Council. A detailed set of drawings and an analysis of the buildings development was required to assist with future repair and renovation.

Two timber-framed structures lie at the core of the present day property. Both appear to be ranges of the same building (rather than separate dwellings) and were built perhaps only a few decades apart. Only a small part of the older of the two ranges remains today however considerably more of the second timber-frame structure has survived.

This second range is a large two and a half-storey structure that accommodated a parlour on the ground floor with chambers and half storey garret above. Both first and second floors of the range are jettied (the first double-jettied). One of its four oriel windows survives intact in the east elevation of the range. The architectural features of this range suggest it may date to the second half of the seventeenth century, perhaps the third quarter. One such feature observed was an egg and dart moulding that could be seen on fragments of the original bargeboards (these fragments were reused in elsewhere in the roof of the building).

The George Inn provided the Trust with an opportunity to record a timber-framed building in three dimensions, something that has only been possible in recent years. A computer model was created from the data and the original building reconstructed in all its detail. The completed model can be viewed from any angle, inside or out, providing an opportunity to analysis the building in a way that was not previously possible.

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