Place Name
Named after The George public house which first opened in 1657 at the Horns Inn, as a stopping point for stagecoaches. However by 1753 it had taken its present name and was one of five inns around Woodford, the others being the White Hart, Ship & Castle, New Wells and Old Wells. The road itself is an ancient track, perhaps the first access road to connect the important turnpike roads on the High Road and the Lower Road (now Chigwell Road). Local historian Peter Lawrence writes: “The name of the pub is older than the building as licensing records clearly show the George as existing in 1700, over a decade before George I was on the throne. So we must conclude that the inn’s name was first dedicated to Saint George, not the monarch who is depicted on the pub’s sign today.”
