George, 55 Great Portland Street, Marylebone W1N 5DH

Marylebone index

Earlier address is at 114 Great Portland Street in 1856 and earlier. The 1833 address refers to 22 Mortimer street which intersects with Great Portland Street

Historical London public houses, Taverns, Inns, Beer Houses and Hotels.

George, 55 Great Portland Street, W1 - in May 2007

George, 55 Great Portland Street, W1 - in May 2007

Kindly provided by Stephen Haris

Residents at this address.

1811/_ Thomas, the George, 114 Great Portland street/../../Holdens Directory

Parish rate books for James Lancefield, previously of the Lord Keith, York Street, Marylebone W1: *

1826 : Michael Smith, Rental £70 , Rates for 1 year £10 10s., Transferred to James Lancefield *

1827/James Lancefield, George, 114 Great Portland street, Oxford street/../../Pigots Directory

1829/James Lancefield, George, 114 Great Portland street/../../Robsons Directory

1832-4 : James Lancefield *

1833-34/James Lancefield, George, 22 Mortimer street/../../Pigots Directory

1836/James Lancefield, George, 114 Great Portland street/../../Pigots Directory

1838-9 Christiana Lancefield (owner Duke of Portland) *

1839/Christiana Lancefield/../../../Pigots Directory

1841/Mrs C Lancefield/../../../Post Office Directory

1846 : Christiana Lancefield *

James and Christiana had 3 surviving sons : *

William Lancefield (born 1810) is shown in a baptism record of 1832 as a victualler living at 5 Cleveland Street, Marylebone. This address was not a pub so he was probably either a tenant or working in a pub. *
He would be too young (22) to hold a licence so would have been working in a pub – possibly at the George with his parents. In 1835 another baptism gives his address as 25 Buckingham Place – this is now the northern part of Cleveland Street (west side) but also was not a pub. Buckingham Mansions (flats) now occupy the site. In February 1838 his address on a birth certificate is 15 Hertford Street (now the northern end of Whitfield Street) and he is shown as “Publican” but again this address is not a pub. By the time his child died in June 1839 he was living at Charles Street, St. Giles in the Fields (now Macklin Street in Theatre Land) and working as a porter. He never returned to the licenced trade.

William's brother James Lancefield (1811 – 1870) never worked and was classed as “Gentleman” when he died. ;

The last son of James & Christiana Lancefield, was George Lancefield (1817 – 1888).*
He had the Barrack Tavern at Woolwich 1849 – 1850's and is in the 1851 census there.
1861 census he is “Retired Innkeeper” living in Great Portland Street.
1862 – 74 he had the “York and Albany” at Regent's Park with a Theatre attached. But he is not there in 1871 census so probably had a manager in.
1875 : Cock Tavern, Great Portland Street.
Retired to Ramsgate and died there 1888. He had married in 1849 Ann Maria Moore from Canterbury but they had no children.


After this time James's widow Christiana seems to have gone to live with her nephew William Lancefield (who later kept the King's Head Hotel at Harrow) at 3 Cunningham Place St John's Wood. She is there in 1851 census. *
She died in 1881 at the Load of Hay in Haverstock Hill of which the licence was held by her widowed daughter Sarah Ann Applegath.

1848/Stephen Walker/../../../Post Office Directory

1851/William Howland/../../../Kellys Directory

1851/William Howland/Publican (Victualler)/35/Thame, Oxfordshire/Census
1851/Elizabeth Howland/Wife/40/Great Messender, Buckinghamshire/Census
1851/Drysella Hodgkins/Niece, Assistant/17/Great Messender, Buckinghamshire/Census
1851/Matthew Hardwick/Barman/26/Leeds, Yorkshire/Census
1851/George Simmonds/Potman/19/Bath, Somerset/Census
1851/Harriet Smith/House Servant/30/Worcestershire/Census
1851/Robert Bedrupt/Visitor/15/Priestwood, Buckinghamshire/Census

1856/William Howland/../../../Post Office Directory

April 1856/Caleb Cox Oliff/Outgoing Licensee/../../Era

April 1856/William Howland/Incoming Licensee/../../Era

1864/William Howland/../../../Post Office Directory

1869/William Howland/../../../Post Office Directory

1871/William Howland/Licensed Victualler/55/Thame, Oxfordshire/Census
1871/Elizabeth Howland/Wife/63/Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire/Census
1871/Druscella Hodgkins/Niece/34/Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire/Census
1871/Amilia Howland/Niece/22/St Pancras, Middlesex/Census
1871/Maria Taylor/Cook, Widow/51/Chalfont, Buckinghamshire/Census
1871/Eliza Putman/Housemaid/32/Chalfont, Buckinghamshire/Census
1871/William King/Barman/25/Marylebone, Middlesex/Census
1871/George Young/Barman/19/St Pancras, Middlesex/Census
1871/William Whaler/Barman/19/Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire/Census

1880/Walter Edmund Crook/../../../Post Office Directory **

1881/Thomas A Howland/Licensed Victualler/33/Walworth/Census
1881/Mary E Howland/Wife/28/Stone, Buckingham/Census
1881/Florence M Howland/Daughter/3/St Pancras/Census
1881/George Howland/Son/2/St Pancras/Census
1881/Charles Howland/Son/1/St Pancras/Census
1881/Walter E Crook/Brother In Law, Retired Licensed Victualler/33/Stone, Buckingham/Census
1881/William Howland/Brother, Assistant/25/Hardwick, Buckingham/Census
1881/Edward J H Ridgway/Barman/25/Lambeth/Census
1881/George H Cullum/Barman/21/Witensham, Suffolk/Census
1881/George Hannell/Head Barman, Widow/60/St Geo In Fields/Census
1881/Mary A Knowles/Domestic Servant/32/Marylebone/Census
1881/Annie Waine/Nursemaid/16/Somerton, Oxford/Census

1882/Walter Edmund Crook/../../../Post Office Directory

1884/Thomas A Howland/../../../Post Office Directory

1891/Thos Arthur Howland/../../../Post Office Directory

1891/Thomas A Howland/Licensed Victualler/43/Walworth, Surrey/Census
1891/Mary E Howland/Wife/38/Stone, Buckinghamshire/Census
1891/Emmeline Howland/Daughter/1/St Marylebone, London/Census
1891/George Hannell/Manager, Widow/69/Southwark, Surrey/Census
1891/Alfred Lugsden/Barman/27/Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire/Census
1891/Josiah Arnold/Barman/25/Brixton, Surrey/Census
1891/Harry Helly/Barman/23/Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire/Census
1891/Jane Williams/Domestic Servant/37/Corris, Merionethshire/Census
1891/Annie H Tuckwell/Domestic Servant/19/Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire/Census

1895/Thos Arthur Howland/../../../Post Office Directory

1899/Thos Arthur Howland/../../../Post Office Directory

1910/Thos Arthur Howland/../../../Post Office Directory

1915/Thomas Arthur Howland/../../../Post Office Directory

1921/Charles Howland/../../../Hughes Directory *

1938/Chas Howland/../../../Post Office Directory

1944/Chas Howland/../../../Post Office Directory

1981/George, 55 Great Portland street, W1N 5DH /../../Pub Directory

Craig Douglas and wife Karen, were at the George, 55 Great Portland Street, from 1991. ***
They made the George a very busy real ale, food and celebrity pub, hosting Ned Sherrin and his guests every Saturday morning after his loose ends radio show, which was aired live from the pub on many occasions and were a haunt for all and sundry from the BBC hq around the corner.
The All Souls choir and orchestra meant they also opened every Sunday evening.
Sadly, leaving in October 2003 after one of their twins, bree louise, died aged 12 weeks in September.
They took over the Jolly Gardeners on the corner of Cobourg and Euston streets by Euston station in Easter, 2004; they renamed it the now infamous BREE LOUISE, Which HS2 subsequently compulsory purchased from on January 31st 2018 and though not yet compensated it remains a hole in the ground today!


* Provided By Rex Lancefield

** Provided By Stephen Harris

*** Provided By Craig Douglas

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  • And Last updated on: Thursday, 25-Jan-2024 09:45:56 GMT