The Red Lion, Berwick-Upon-Tweed

The Red lion feels like a permanent celebration of king, country and Rangers with flags and bunting up on every bit of wall and ceiling. There’s no doubt that this is a football pub with not a single fleck of green in the place, although I did spot a couple of Hearts scarves. During an early Thursday afternoon visit there was one other customer who was watching Sky Sports News that is shown on televisions throughout. There’s also a jukebox, but this was off in favour of hearing the latest football news. The interior is L-shaped with a raised area to the left that supports DJ rig and some very snug seating that I imagine gets very cosy on old firm day. In the left rear corner is a pool table and a room at the rear houses a second pool table and a dartboard. To the right of the entrance the serving counter across the rear faces terrace style flip chairs and some barrels that have been repurposed as tables. The barman was friendly, but only standard keg was available meaning I ended up with another half of Tennents. This isn’t somewhere I’d be rushing back to, but if I was in town during a match I think curiosity would get the better of me and a return visit would happen.

Nothing has changed since Quinno’s visit a few years back, it’s still a shrine to Glasgow Rangers with a garnish of royalty and armed forces. Two counter faces; the front one with two T-Bars a John Smiths smooth solo and a Thatchers cider treble supply UK favourites plus Belhaven 80/- and Tennents. More solos were lurking in the rear section by a pool table but it was in darkness as it was early. There’s at least one more pool table in a room at the back. Pretty much everything is blue or white, a touch of highlighting red but mostly blue, obviously no green. Interesting seating in front of the counter on the right, banquettes at old whisky casks under the nice stained glass front windows but tip-up double cinema type seats between there and the counter. Screen and machine, a juke box that was off, I think I heard a radio playing somewhere.

Looks dilapidated from the outside. The inside is a celebration of all things Rangers; though bizarrely it's Glasgow not Berwick. The entire place is festooned with Rangers and Union paraphernalia which also includes the colour scheme – red, white and blue, so also assume it’s 100% a proddy pub. Some interesting seating arrangements by the servery, with fabric drop-down seats aside old whisky barrels. Inevitably it’s keg-only at the bar, my Tennants was fine. Despite the ferocious look about the place the punters were no problem and the barmaid friendly. Worth a look for sheer novelty value.