Huge Fire at the George Hotel

At around 4.30 a.m. Saturday morning a fire broke out within the roof of the George Hotel in Rye High Street. The hotel was fully booked with a wedding party at the time but thanks to the emergency services actions there were no reported casualties although obviously much distress has been caused.

Photo by Anthony Kimber

The Conservation Society sends its best wishes to the owners, management and staff of the hotel which is such a focal point of Rye High Street. It seems inevitable that restoring the fire and water damage will take many months and our thoughts are with all affected, including people who had made summer bookings. Clearly there will be a negative impact upon the Rye economy as the George is a leading contributor to the success of the High Street and to the economic and social life of our town.

There will no doubt be some disruption to the High Street as rebuilding works progress but this will all be worthwhile if the George can be restored to its previous state of only a few days ago. In the meantime many hotel staff and others are affected and our thoughts are with them.