Old Red Lion, Kennington, SE11

The Old Red Lion is a nice looking black and white pub that is next door to the Oaka at the Mansion House pub. Once inside there were two oblong shaped rooms,i had a drink in the room to the right,this room looked quite cosy and was dimly lite with candles being lite on each table,the floor is bare boarded and the seating is a mix of different types,with some chesterfield settees and normal tables and chairs,a bench seat faced the bar. This room extended to the rear where was another drinking area which then lead to an outside drinking area,the room to the left is smaller. There was a decent choice of real ales on the bar,i tried a drink of Cottage Sticy Wicket which was a pretty poor beer,i then had a drink of Twickenham Naked Ladies which went down very well,the other beers i noted were Bradys Heavy Industry and Revolutions Pretty in Pink. This is a very nice pub which knocks spots off the pub next door. Pub visited 2/8/2014

This traditional pub presents an attractive brewer’s tudor façade on approach and once inside, it is possible to admire a relatively unspoilt two bar layout. The front door takes you into the public bar – a rather dark and atmospheric space on my evening time visit – with dark floorboards and beams dominating the room. The servery is to the left and also serves the smaller lounge bar the other side of the partitioning wall. A few sofas have been arranged underneath the front window whilst bench and standard chairs make up the seating options in the rest of the room. There is a nice fireplace opposite the bar, a few old pictures lining the walls and a bizarre collection of doll’s houses scattered around the rear part of the room. Two tiny doors at either end of the servery lead you into the lounge – a very similar set up to the public bar, but carpeted and with an open kitchen at the rear. Some more sofas can be found here and there is another nice fireplace, out of use during my stay. Beyond the main bar, there is a third room at the back of the pub. This has bare floorboards, a skylight and a mix of seating, including some small tables and stools in a series of tiny, candlelit, tiled ‘snugs’ on either side of the room. I have no idea what these are – it felt a bit like drinking in a cupboard – but some have nice stained glass windows, others old dressers and one was being used to store somebody’s bicycle. The rest of the room has been decorated with odd bits of porcelain and some wonky pictures, and I also spotted a pile of LP’s stacked up in one corner. I noticed at least one TV screen, but this was turned off throughout my stay, with a decent alternative music soundtrack playing in the background. This is an Antic pub, so a decent ale range was expected and I was pleased to find Late Knights Morning Glory, Twickenham Naked Ladies, Cottage Endeavour, West Berkshire Old Father Thames and one other Twickenham brew which I forgot to note. Five bag-in-a-box ciders were stood on the bar as well. I gave the Morning Glory a try and thought it was probably a bit past its best. This is a nice twist on the classic, traditional boozer. I’m a little surprised and disappointed to read that Antic’s actions have caused it to drop off the National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors, as I thought there were still plenty of interesting features remaining, as well as what I assumed was the original layout. I think the pub would still please the traditionalist and the ale range and general vibe will help it attract a diverse customer base. An enjoyable visit and a good double header with the neighbouring Mansion House.

The Old Red Lion could hardly be a greater contrast to the shiny Oakham outlet next door. It follows a familiar Antic formula of furniture apparently from a down-at-heel antiques shop's closing-down sale and decorations and fittings seemingly out of a skip*. The bar is on the right-hand side of the main room on entering, behind which is another, smaller bar area. There's more space at the back of the main room - I didn't venture that far, but it seems that they'll be able to handle the crowds here without too much trouble. The lighting's kept low, in traditional London style; the tables illuminated by candles in pint mugs. Pint mugs is also how you'll get your ale - there are 4 on offer, typically from microbreweries in London and further afield. A pint of Truman Emperor slipped down very nicely. I'd recommend a visit if you're in the area, but I see no need to cross London specially. * Legal note: I'm not suggesting that they do anything of the sort; it's just the impression.

The external tudor style frontage and leaded windows with stained glass inserts suggest a building of some age, however the pub was rebuilt on the site of a previous one by Charrington's in 1929. Inside there is a beamed ceiling, timber framed walls and low duck through doorways between the two main rooms either side of the bar. The red lion motif and Charrington's toby jug feature on the internal glazing and the rear room has a couple of small booths with tiled walls which can only be converted toilets. Beyond here there is a courtyard garden area. The pub has received the Antic treatment so now contains a variety of 50s and 60s furniture, dolls houses, net curtains, a standard lamp, school photos and so on. I don't mind that but if the alterations have caused the pub to be removed from the CAMRA list then I'm unsure about how sussed Antic are about such issues. The building is still Grade II listed so they need to take care. As ever with Antic the beer choice is good and contained at a sensible number, Arbor Hoptical Delusion, Roosters True Grit, Rudgate Volsung (very nice), plus Twickenham Ales Vanguard. The ale pumps are in the right hand side on entering, the other room has a cider and perry on by Weston's. Food menus were on the tables in printed sheet format, rather unusual it must be said, Octopus, potato and Pea Chowder is £8, for the starving hungry the "Surf and Turf" contains half a lobster, crayfish tails, crab claw in garlic butter, sirloin steak, a lamb chop and colcannon mash. Probably good value at £14. There were also less unusual offerings plus snacks eg scotch egg with pickle at £2.50. There's a TV high up on a wall, off at the time while jazz and blues played quietly, the back room was set for a Thursday quiz and folk music was also advertised, also once a month on a Thursday I believe. A new venture, I liked it and in marked contrast to the equally reborn uber modern Mansion House next door, both worth a visit for those who like their ales.