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The Red Lion is a Grade II listed public house at 48 Parliament Street, London SW1. The pub is known for its political clientele and has been described as "the usual watering hole for MPs and parliament staffers" and "much-plotted-in" due to its proximity to UK political institutions including Whitehall, the Palace of Westminster, and
/ref> In the Victorian era, a pub called the Red Lion standing on this spot was visited by
The Red Lion is a Grade II listed public house at 48 Parliament Street, London SW1. The pub is known for its political clientele and has been described as "the usual watering hole for MPs and parliament staffers" and "much-plotted-in" due to its proximity to UK political institutions including Whitehall, the Palace of Westminster, and 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the official residence and executive office of the first lord of the treasury, usually, by convention, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Along wi ...
.
History
As early as 1434, a tavern known as the Hopping Hall existed in this location.The Red Lion, Westminster: History/ref> In the Victorian era, a pub called the Red Lion standing on this spot was visited by
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...
as a young boy. The current building was erected in about 1890. It has been visited by Prime Ministers Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. He was Deputy Prime Mini ...
and Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath a ...
. It is owned by Fuller's Brewery
Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick in the west of London was a family-run business from its foundation in 1845 until 2019. In that year, the brewing division of Fuller, Smith & Turner PLC was sold to the Japanese international beverage giant Asahi.
...
.
Association with British politics
Although there are several pubs and bars located within the Palace of Westminster, the Red Lion is the closest public house to the Parliamentary Estate and so often frequented by MPs, civil servants, and political journalists. Interviews with clientele often feature complaints about the pub's expensive drinks and cramped interior, but note that its location makes it indispensable. Political journalist and author Marie Le Conte described the Red Lion as "the lowest common denominator – people say ‘I don’t go there’ but then everyone ends up there." The pub's association with UK politics became notorious in 1997 afterCharlie Whelan
Charles Alexander James Whelan (born 3 February 1954, north-east Surrey) is former political director of the British trade union Unite. He rose to prominence as spokesman for Labour politician Gordon Brown from 1992 to 1999. He has also worked ...
, press adviser for then- Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony B ...
, "unofficially" briefed journalists at the Red Lion that the UK would not be adopting the Euro. Whelan did so without the knowledge or authorisation of Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
, with some sources suggesting that the "briefing" was simply that Whelan was overheard by journalists discussing the policy. Blair was reportedly outraged at this breach of protocol and rang Whelan (who still at the pub) to complain, only to be told: "Sorry Tony, it’s too late."
The Red Lion is one of several public houses in the Westminster area to be fitted with a division bell
In some of the Commonwealth realms, a division bell is a bell rung in or around parliament to signal a division (a vote) to members of the relevant chamber so that they may participate. A division bell may also be used to signal the start or end ...
, used to alert MPs that a vote is imminent (referred to in parliamentary language as a "division" as it requires "dividing the House"). Others include the Blue Boar and Westminster Arms. Members of the public and visiting tourists sometimes mistake the ringing of the bell for a fire alarm.
References
External links
* 19th-century architecture in the United Kingdom Grade II listed pubs in the City of Westminster Fuller's pubs {{pub-stub