Although the town centre is quite a stroll from the Shropshire Union Canal, Market Drayton is one of my favourite places to stop as it still boasts a good number of largely unspoilt pubs.
It took us a good few years to actually discover the Red Lion our first visit being on the evening of Tuesday 5th September 2000 on our way back home following our first canal visit to Manchester.
I seem to recall that it was a pleasant, fairly basic pub, worthy of future visits.
Our next stop was on the evening of Monday 29th August 2005 on our way back from a trip to Chester.
The outside had undergone a complete transformation and inside, I seem to remember that it had also been refurbished, but that it now wasn't as cosy as before (but it was a quiet Monday night which never helps with atmosphere!).
We were back again a couple of years later on the evening of Monday 27th August 2007, this time on the way to Llangollen.
No discernible changes in the intervening 2 years.
It was a good few years before we sought out the Red Lion again...and what a transformation!
This was at lunchtime on Monday 8th August 2016 and in the intervening 9 years it had become the brewery tap for the revived Joules Brewery. Inside has also been extended at the back and completely transformed in traditional style. Despite it being lunchtime, I 'forced' myself to have a couple (or three) pints of the local ales...and very nice they were too!
For more details about the Red Lion and Joules follow this link.
In an era when pubs continue to close and disappear from our landscape it it good to be able to report on the revival of a traditional English beer and their commitment to having their own pubs.
I also couldn't resist giving the Red Lion the Photo Digital Art treatment!
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| © Photo Digital Art 2016 |
Lovely piece. Not the only good pub in town, either.Like the digital art !
ReplyDeleteThanks - I know there are plenty of good pubs in the town; it's just a matter of finding the time to get round them all...again!
DeleteAnd you abandoned lager for a pint or three of Joules - there's hope for you yet! ;-)
ReplyDeleteTechnically, as it was lunchtime, I declined three pints of Blackcurrant & Soda water for the Joules...but had it been evening I would've done the same!!
DeleteI also enjoyed my visit to the Red Lion when it was a Joules tied house,i did all pubs in Market Drayton and then a few in Stoke before getting the train back to Nottingham,i only have the one photo of it though.
ReplyDelete