There was a public house on this site in 1583 called The George, and in 1750 it became known as the King's Head. It was here, during the 18th & 19th Centuries, that the local Recruiting Sergeant would encourage young men to fight for King and Country. St John's Hospital Almshouse oppo-site is known to have been on this site before 1336 as a hospital for lepers. It was purpously built away from the town in an isolated spot, on the edge of the seashore. In the mid 16th century, it "maintained 8 beds for the needy and poor people and such as were maimed in wars".
