Stop 5: The Coaching House
High Street Life
70 High St, Yarm, TS15 9AH
About This Stop
The George and Dragon pub used to be a coaching house and a market inn and was where the third meeting and the first successful meeting about building the Stockton-Darlington railway line took place.
How to Get Here
Exit through the same alleyway and continue down the High Street, passing 4 buildings to reach the pub.
The History
The George and Dragon dates back to early to mid 18th century and used to be a market inn and coaching house with horse stables in the rear, accessible through an arch, which now leads into the pub. It is a National Heritage List for England Grade II listed building due to the remaining rough cast walls and pan tiled roof.
The inn was a rest stop for travellers and horses who were passing through the town, and it was connected to services such as the Royal Mail coach, linking to towns such as Stockton through to York.
Did You Know?
It was here on the 12th February 1820 that a meeting took place that pressed for permission to build the Stockton & Darlington Railway, the world’s first public railway. Before they went missing, the original chairs that were used during the meeting were kept in the room as a memento of the occasion.
If you look to the side of the archway and next to the heritage plaque, you will see another plaque honouring the event, which has been there for over 100 years.
The Coaching House: Then and Now
