See how The George Hotel Crawley changed between 1920 and 2024. Drag the slider to compare the historic photograph with the modern view.
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## The George Hotel, Crawley
The George Hotel in Crawley, West Sussex, traces its origins to the late 15th or early 16th century, with a stone fireplace bearing the date 1615. By the late 18th century, it had become a prominent coaching inn, strategically located on the London to Brighton road. The opening of the turnpike road in 1770 and the rise of Brighton as a fashionable seaside resort transformed Crawley into a bustling staging post. By 1839, approximately 60 coaches passed through the town daily, and the George Hotel, with its extensive stabling and accommodation, held what contemporary accounts described as the premier position among Sussex inns. The hotel has been associated with royalty, bareknuckle prizefighting, smuggling, and has been the subject of novels and paintings. It was central to the plot of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's mystery novel "Rodney Stone," written in 1896. The hotel is also reputedly haunted by the ghost of a nightwatchman, Mark Hurston (or Hewton), and other curious figures. (crawleymagazine.com)
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