The Red Lion

The Red Lion

Rebecca Ridgway (Bec) welcomes customers past, present and new to the Red Lion. An old fashioned 'locals' pub with a pretty garden and serving excellent Hooky beer. Originally built as a tap house the pub was first recorded back in 1686.

The Red Lion, Chipping Norton might be a small intimate pub, but it has a big heart. For its customers do much more than raise thousands of pounds for local charities every year - they have provided the motivation for many to work tirelessly on behalf of the local community.

A former licensee of the Red was the inspiration for GP Jonathan Moore to set up the Lawrence Home Nursing Team, which provides home care for terminally ill patients. And today Red Lion generous customers organise many events to raise money for the charity, which needs £5,000 a month to keep afloat.

The pub is home to Chippy’s Giant Vegetable Competition, now in its fourth year it raised more than £550 for the charity – bringing the total amount raised for the LHNT to more than £2,000 this year. Other fund raising events include an annual 24 hours darts marathon, coffee mornings and a three-legged race.

And in the last 12 months the pub has raised £3,000 for Katharine House Hospice and £300 for MS. Licensee Bec Ridgway said: “My customers really care about their community and their neighbours.They are wonderful people.

“The Red Lion is a proper pub, offering great Hooky beer, great company and good old-fashioned conversation. “We are an ideal pub for people from the town or visitors to the area who want to experience a proper local.” The Red has a pretty garden, where families can relax.

The Red has no jukebox, fruit machines or video games. Teams representing the Red are entered in local leagues of crib, darts, dominoes and Aunt Sally.