EPW024120 ENGLAND (1928). St Mary Street and environs, Thornbury, 1928

Royal George Pub (formerly the Boars Head)

Occupying a Grade II listed building, this pub has been trading since the mid-19th century. It has always played a significant role in local life, and used to house spring ‘Mop Fairs’, events staged for the hiring of agricultural labourers and domestic staff. It was also a popular meeting place for local organisations, among which were the ‘Ancient Order of Foresters Lodge’, who, on a certain day each June, would arrive in town on horseback dressed as Robin Hood, and would stop at every pub before going to the church for a service.

In 2004, the Royal George hit local newspaper headlines in a controversy over the origin of its name – was the pub named after a ship, or after a monarch? Subsequent research revealed maritime connections, but a definitive answer has never been established.

Completely refurbished in recent years, the Royal George has been reinvented as a fusion between traditional pub and Mediterranean-style restaurant, a combination that continues its longstanding popularity with the town’s locals and visitors.