The George and Dragon in Kings Landing, sorry Greenwich, has their Big Weekend ahead, on Friday it’s the relaunch party following the extensive refit with Nicki French and Miss Jason and on Saturday they are celebrating their 19th Anniversary with Hazell Dean. Dave Cross was summoned to meet, and bend the knee to the original Mother of Dragons, queen of Greenwich, none other than owner Paul, aka The Duchess.
Hi Duchess, for someone who has never been to the George and Dragon, how would you describe it?
At the George and Dragon we try to be as inclusive as possible, a gay bar for all. We cater for all age ranges, offering cabaret and DJs, from 4pm every day. There’s a great ambience from a relaxing after work drink to a good old knees up till the early hours. With palatial decor and excellent customer service what more could you want?
Cabaret is very important to you…
Cabaret is not only important to us at the G&D but to the gay scene and gay heritage. We are proud to offer the very best cabaret that London and Brighton has to offer with a little sprinkling of imported talent from north of Watford.
This year the venue has undergone an almost total transformation, can you talk us through what you have done?
The builders arrived on the 2nd of February, but it’s felt like longer. The “old girl”, that’s the pub not The Duchess, has been bashed, battered and restored to a very high standard. There’s lots of oak, velvet and of course lead crystal from Milan, before Brexit obviously. It’s all been completed by a master builder ‘Bob’ who doesn’t rush, and we are very happy with the results, all the hard work has been worth it.
This weekend is your big relaunch, what’s happening on Friday?
We are relaunching on Friday to celebrate coming to the end of the transformation, Miss Jason will be presiding over the occasion on stage at 10.30pm and introducing Eurovision legend Nicki French, her of Total Eclipse of the Heart fame, all followed by our very own DJ Grant working the dancefloor till 4am.
And Saturday?
On Saturday, by coincidence, we are celebrating the 19th anniversary of the day The Duchess bought the G&D. Who better to help us get in the swing but the queen of high energy pop, Hazell Dean with hits like Searchin’ and Who’s Leaving Who. Followed by our very own DJ Spark to party right through till 4am.
And can you tell us about Wednesdays, Thursday and Sundays?
The G&D is not just a late night cabaret bar. We open from 4pm offering the ‘£3 Club’ every day till 8pm with loads of popular products discounted to only £3, perfect to unwind after a stressful day. Wednesday night at 9pm we also do a hysterical bingo with Candy Slag In Drag and Thursdays at 9.30pm we have a piano bar with the talented Ian Parker and guests. Super Sundays are probably my favourite day; it’s a chance to see three of the top cabaret acts on the circuit in one venue on the same day, it’s special. Mary Mac at 6pm, Myra DuBois at 8pm and Miss Jason at 10pm.
You are celebrating 19 years on Saturday, what do you think the secret of the venue’s success is?
It’s amazing to think we have been here for 19 years when so many venues have gone. With our continued hard work and moving with the times, along with our renowned customer service we are all looking forward to the next 19, but especially next September when we celebrate 20 years. We will be pulling all the stops out for that to better if we can this weekend. And, who knows the G&D may even win a prestigious and very sought after Boyz Award!
On the cover we’ve called you the Mother of George and Dragons, which character from Game of Thrones would you
like to be?
I would like to be Sansa Stark the titian temptress or Daenerys Targaryen as she is young and beautiful and I have nurtured my own Dragon for 19 years. I would suspect my friends and customers may liken me to Cersei Lannister or even Olenna Tyrell the Queen
of Thorns.
The George and Dragon, 2 Blackheath Hill, Greenwich, SE10.
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