The Red Lion – Needham

Situated in Needham on the High Road, the Red Lion manages to qualify as a Norfolk pub by being just on the right side of the River Waveney. The pub started trading as the Lion in the early 19th century under the ownership of the Sheriffe Brewery of Diss. Sadly, in 1840, Robert Sheriffe’s brewery and its tied houses were put up for auction and, while the Diss pubs and the brewery were snapped-up by rival Diss brewer, Charles Farrow, most of the other pubs were left to find owners from the other interested bidders.

The Lion was purchased by the Great Yarmouth brewer, Lacon’s, and remained a Lacon’s house for over a century until 1966 when, as the Red Lion, it began selling Whitbread beers following the takeover of Lacon’s brewing business. Whitbread held onto the pub until they pulled out of brewing and, while Whitbread did what it could to sell its tied houses to other local brewers, it would appear that the Red Lion was not lucky enough to be chosen by a brewer, instead being bought by the PubCo, Enterprise Inns.

Enterprise Inns grudgingly kept the Red Lion running until the end of 1981 when the pub was closed. The building remained closed for over a year until, eventually, a purchaser was found and, in April 1983, the pub was re-opened as a free house. Whilst the Red Lion has changed hands several times since 1983, the pub has remained open and has continued to trade as a free house. These days it stocks a range of cask ales and keg beers as well as having a restaurant area serving good no-nonsense food.

Like all pubs, it is doing its best to survive in these troubled times but we must hope that the Red Lion has found the recipe for success (or at least for survival) and that it remains Needham’s centre for conviviality for many more years to come.

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