Doors will shut on 4,000 'complacent' British pubs, warns drinkers' guide

[Strongers]

I remember when I did the Fuller's Passport some twenty years ago there was a Red Lion in the High Street that just did keg. It was a music venue and the bloke told me that they didn't sell real ale because the vibrations from the amplified music shook the barrels making the beer cloudy. I didn't believe a word of it. As far as I remember this was the only one of the 200 that had no real ale.
Strangely this site lists three closed Red Lions in Brentford High Street at numbers 318, 322 and 197. My old West London guide just has the one at 318.

I have a vague recollection of their being a large pub on the corner of the High Street and Ealing road which was the Red Lion. It’s now a McDonalds on a large plot of land so it may have been 318 – 322 Brentford High Street.

From http://www.bhsproject.co.uk/section17.shtml
The Red Lion (197)
Originally a coaching inn, it may have been running as early as 1446 (reference to Henry IV holding a Chapter of the Garter at the ‘Lion’ inn of Brentford (Q63)). New Brentford church services were held at the Red Lion in the 1760s, whilst the church of St Lawrence was rebuilt (Q49).
At the time the Pigot directory for 1839 was prepared, Sarah Pearce was the publican. There is a PCC will for Isaac Pearce, licensed victualler of New Brentford dated 1835, presumably her husband.
By 1851 Frederick Shipley had taken over, and he is listed in the 1861 census too. He was succeeded by John Wetherley by 1871; George Loader (1881); William Henry Fear (1890 & 1891); William Farmer or Farriner, from Brighton, Sussex (1901).
The valuation on 3rd December 1914 describes the property as ‘3 storey building, upper part cement faced. Painted lower part with wood front and glazed with double swing doors; green tiled dado to centre. Wood cellar flap in pavement

• Ground floor: 2 public saloon & bottle bars; kitchen; scullery & parlour; outside WC
• Basement: cellar
• First floor: 3 rooms
• Top floor: 2 rooms, bathroom & WC.

Good condition. Urinal in yard at rear. 20’ frontage.
The occupier was Richard Boxall (who may be a descendant of George Boxall, who ran the Magpie & Crown at no. 128 in the late 1830s to mid 1840s); the owner Truman, Hanbury, Buxton & Co Ltd, Brick Lane, Spitalfields. Freehold, term – yearly, from 18 Jan 1909. Rent £52. Gross value: £2375.
The Red Lion closed in 1928 and the London Co-op opened here in the same year, remaining here until at least 1940. Used by Barclays Bank in 2003 and is now the first building after the Market Place (L).

[Strongers]

If interested, check out the photos of Brentford High Street at the bottom and to the left of the web page, totally unrecognisable! Like the Red Lion at 197, the Castle Hotel listed on this site also closed many moons ago. Very interesting site for those who know Brentford.

[NickDavies]

You're absolutely right, I've just checked an old West London guide. It seems odd that they should buy that one up when they already had so many in Brentford and South Ealing.

A comment by one Mr Bonsor on another pub review web site says that it was part of a larger pub swap between Fullers and Charringtons sometime in the seventies; indeed now I think about it I'm sure this one which I knew well was part of the same deal.

[Rex_Rattus]

Do you still get Festival mild or has that been dropped.

I'm sure I had a pint of it in Ye Olde Mitre a couple of months ago.

[london calling]

You're absolutely right, I've just checked an old West London guide. It seems odd that they should buy that one up when they already had so many in Brentford and South Ealing.

I remember when I did the Fuller's Passport some twenty years ago there was a Red Lion in the High Street that just did keg. It was a music venue and the bloke told me that they didn't sell real ale because the vibrations from the amplified music shook the barrels making the beer cloudy. I didn't believe a word of it. As far as I remember this was the only one of the 200 that had no real ale.
Strangely this site lists three closed Red Lions in Brentford High Street at numbers 318, 322 and 197. My old West London guide just has the one at 318.

They knocked down the pub at 318 and rebuilt it at 322.It was a music pub and I used to play in the pool team.It was also the first winner of the Evening Standard pub of the year.So it must have been a good pub at one time.

[Farway]

Do you still get Festival mild or has that been dropped.

Sorry folks, lost the landline connection for a couple of days.

Not seen Festival mild at all