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Detail Pages
George & Dragon Hotel, High Wycombe
West Wycombe
Postal town: High Wycombe
HP14 3AB
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about George & Dragon Hotel
A good sized and quite imposing old coaching inn in the heart of this pleasant village, a central archway leads you through the pub to the car park at the rear, with parts of the building off to either side with the main part of the pub seeming to be to the right.
Internally it’s quite traditional, with a low beamed ceiling, dark stripy carpet on the floor and a small brick fireplace to one side, although I’m not convinced that this was used despite the pile of logs in the hearth. Fitted benches were in the bay windows with regular tables and chairs elsewhere. The walls were a mixture of cream plasterwork with some others painted very dark, almost black. A large selection of artwork was on the walls, much of it apparently for sale.
The menu offered a decent enough selection of dishes, although the prices were clearly a step or two up from your regular pub grub, with the Fish & Chips being £16, and the Ham, Egg & Chips £14.50, for example. I opted for the fish pie from the specials board, with a cheddar glaze and crispy onions. This was certainly a generous portion and tasty enough, although equally nothing outstanding.
Beers on tap were mostly from Rebellion with their Blond, IPA and Smuggler and these were joined by Tribute. The solitary cider was a rather disappointing Aspalls. Overall, not a bad pub, although with the accomodation and up market food, it does perhaps have the feel more of a hotel than a cosy old local.
On 1st June 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1948 recommendations about 1861 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about George & Dragon Hotel
SWFC’s recent visit to Adams Park saw me calling in at The George and Dragon in West Wycombe. West Wycombe ( 2-3 miles west of High Wycombe ) is a fine National Trust owned village with a number of attractive old buildings along its High Street, although it’s a bit of a shame that it’s also the A40.
The George and Dragon is a fine old coaching inn looking immediately at home in these surroundings. Our attention is drawn to the unusual large lead oval-shaped pub sign protruding from the vertical wall and held in position by several sturdy thick black rods. Unusually, it’s an exposed brick frontage rather than the usual whitewashed walls that we might expect to see. It’s a hotel as well as a pub and advertises “ensuite character bedrooms” as well as an “unusual and interesting bar food menu”.
As we enter through the original cobbled archway, the bar and hotel entrance are on the right. The main bar features dark oak beams, horse brasses, decorative plates on a high shelf and the usual old style settles and spindle back chairs. A flower vase on each table and subdued lighting, together with the absence of any TV’s or music etc contribute towards a fine unspoilt traditional atmosphere. By the fireplace, a framed information print tells us that the pub was built around 1720 and provides us with a brief history of the other parts of the premises, including the coach house and old stables at the back.
A smaller adjoining room, serviced from a hatch to the main bar is equally traditional. Of note here is a framed list of landlords dating back to 1790.
Outside, we see the aforementioned coach house and stables. Note the balcony on the right hand side which was apparently used by sightseers and well wishers to see the arrival of the gentry and their coaches and horses. At the back towards the rear is also a large garden and car park.
On my Saturday visit, beers on were Rebellion IPA, Rebellion Smugglers, Courage Directors plus St Austells Tribute. The IPA wasn’t up to much, but the Smugglers was a fine robust tasty pint. A CAMRA Good Beer Guide sticker from 2009 was seen in the window, but the pub hasn’t been in the Guide since.
It’s a 25-30 minute quick walk to Adams Park from this pub, and, pleasingly, only the more discerning football fans appeared to have found it.
I was intending to call in at The Swan, a hundred or so yards away down the High Street, which is listed in CAMRA’s National Inventory of Unspoilt Pub Interiors, but it wasn’t open. The George and Dragon went some considerable way towards compensating for this disappointment
On 8th November 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]