The George and Fox
In 1780 the inn was known as the George and Dragon. It later was called The Fox. Between 1793 and 1805, run by George and Sally Scholey it served as Penkridge’s post-office.
By 1818 it was known as the George and Fox, possibly a reference to Charles James Fox and the Prince Regent (later George IV) and their political struggles with George III and prime minister William Pitt.
The most famous person associated with the inn was John Hewitt who was born there in 1777. He was a cabinet maker and clock maker and emigrated to America in 1796. Together with engineers from Boulton and Watt, he helped build the first steam engine made in the USA. John Hewitt’s son, Abram (1822-1903), manufactured gun metal barrel iron for Abraham Lincoln’s government during the Civil War and sold it at cost price. In 1886 he became the Mayor of New York, beating Theodore Roosevelt in the election.
The old inn survived until the road-widening of 1931. The iron bollards in front of the 1930s building mark the back wall of the old George and Fox.
In recent years it was known as Foxeys. It closed a few years ago, becoming an Indian Restaurant for a while before its current status as a convenience store from a branded supermarket.
Thanks to Robert Maddocks of Penkridge History Society for this information.