Seventeen years after first working with Retrouvius on the design of this lovely pub with rooms, the owners called upon them again to apply their gentle stroke and thrifty know-how for reclamation and architectural salvage. The rooms, pub area and all-day brasserie, The George Grill, now have a fresh look, and it's better than ever. Right on Rye's high street, the 16th-century former coaching inn is the perfect base from which to explore this quaint medieval coastal town on foot. It is under 5 minutes from the train station, and another five minutes to hilly cobbled Mermaid Street down along the High Street's string of antiques shops and eateries.
Paint the picture
The George's pretty salmon-pink-painted facade can be spotted instantly as you turn onto the High Street from Rye station. Through the columned door and into the 16th-century inn, you are hit with a wave of energy from the staff at reception to the right, and a cosy front room to the left, warmed by a steady fire with seating arranged along windows for games and people watching. Past the entrance, it’s through the pub, decorated smartly in a contemporary style, and through to its restaurant The Grill. Rye may have a handful of great stays, with places like the fabled Mermaid Inn down the road, but the warmth of The George cannot be replicated elsewhere. It is quintessentially Kentish and refreshingly easy-going and informal.
Design notes
Despite undergoing a recent makeover, The George in Rye has kept its pub-with-rooms charm intact. That is largely due to the gentle refresh carried by Maria and Adam at Retrouvius, who know perhaps better than anyone how to make the most of what already exists, and tread lightly to elevate a space with reclaimed furnishings and salvaged materials. You'll find bobbin chairs, upholstered headboards, patterned wallcoverings depicting flora and fauna, tongue-and-groove panelled walls, beamed ceilings, generous Lefroy Brooks bathroom fittings and copper roll-top baths in the rooms. No two colour palettes are the same – in one room, it may be a sunflower-yellow painted built-in bed and bookcase against a burnt orange autumnal patterned wallpaper, while in the next Morris & Co’s Blackthorn wallpaper sets off a theme of green throughout. The atmosphere is unpretentious and welcoming, stylish without being highly strung – and firmly out of London.
Food and drink
Dining options include the smaller and more informal pub area, also known as the ‘Dragon Bar’, for light bites and snacks, as well as the brasserie-style George Grill, where the impeccable menu features hearty favourites cooked over a wood-charcoal grill. The Rye Bay scallops, hand-picked Cornish crab and Romney Marsh lamb served with salsa verde are sensational.
Rooms and facilities
The 34 rooms are dispersed throughout the two upper floors, reached through a snakes-and-ladders maze of wonky beamed staircases and corridors up and down and along the building, each with its own arrangement, size and decoration. There are several room categories starting from the smallest of the bunch, ‘cosy rooms’, to the largest, ‘junior suites’. All come with en suite bathrooms with products from REN.
Booking essentials
The George in Rye, 98 High St, TN31 7JT, Rye. Rooms from £125.
