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Beer of the Week (w/e 15th June 2025) with Mobyduck
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Detail Pages
The Red Lion, Eastbourne
Willingdon
Postal town: Eastbourne
BN20 9HQ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Red Lion
The Red Lion is situated on a bit of a bank, with the Sussex Downs rising up from the rear of the pub. There is a front bar with a TV at the far left end. The room also features an old map of Sussex pubs and a large fish in a cabinet.
Stairs lead to a dining room upstairs. Although this was not in use, with diners either requested or choosing to eat in the main bar. A garden area could be found at the very rear.
Being a Hardy & Hanson's pub, Badger Tanglefoot & Fursty Ferret are regular beers. The seasonal beer was Badger Rust & Reverie. Outland IPA & Stout were on keg. The cider was Thatcher's Gold.
Various events were being promoted. A tropical party offered revellers a free punch (hopefully the spirit variety) and live music and there was also a Father's Day event planned.
The Red Lion feels a world away from the British Queen a bit further down the hill in Lower Willingdon. It has a much more relaxed feel to it and my Rust & Reverie was enjoyable. Both pubs have their merits and are worth doing if in the area.
On 13th May 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3111 recommendations about 3109 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Red Lion
The George Orwell connection has already been mentioned, but it’s perhaps worth adding that he included reference to this pub in Animal Farm because he frequented it regularly when he was staying in a nearby hotel while writing said book in 1944.
This is an attractive looking pub with a red brick and brewer’s Tudor exterior. It dominates this stretch of Wish Hill. I thought the interior was very comfortable with none of those pub-blighting tall tables and stools nor any sofas unnecessarily taking up too much space. The windows were leaded small panes, and there was a fireplace at each end of the room, neither of which was alight on my Boxing Day visit. There were some paintings decorating the walls at the right of the room where we sat, whereas the other end had an ancient map of this part of the world, a framed piece about the Orwell connection, and the inevitable TV on the wall in the corner showing the football scores, albeit muted. Apparently there’s a function room upstairs, but I didn’t venture there. All the tables had a bunch of (helium filled) ballons attached to them – I suppose a Christmas attraction for the kids?
There were three Hall & Woodhouse ales on – Tanglefoot, Badger Best and the seasonal Pickled Partridge. I had the latter, which was excellent. I didn’t feel that the prices were expensive, as mentioned by others (although drinking in London may have bludgeoned my long-suffering wallet into insensitivity by now!), with two pints (Badger and Partridge) and two soft drinks costing £8. But the food prices wouldn’t have been out of place in London, with, e.g., the Sunday roast at £8.95 and a ham & cheese wrap at £7.50. We considered the service to have been friendly and welcoming, and the furnishings and the pub in general to be comfortable. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in this neck of the woods.
On 28th December 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Red Lion
A very attractive Hall & Woodhouse pub which commands some nice views of the local countryside and is mentioned in George Orwell’s Animal Farm. The immaculate turn-of-the-century exterior leads to an interior that is neat and retains a certain air of 1930’s period charm, with dark wood panelling and wall-to-wall carpeting. Despite being in the 2011 Good Beer Guide, there were only two Badger ales, Tanglefoot and Sussex. My Tanglefoot was expensive in the extreme and the pint was serviceable, rather than being a spot-hitter. Ho-hum. The welcome from behind the bar was very friendly which at least compensated for my back pocket feeling considerably lighter. The pub has two areas set up for food and a well-maintained grass garden (heavily sloped) at the rear which made for a pleasant place to sup our ales in the mid-afternoon sunshine.
Overall I thought this place was fairly perfunctory despite the many undoubted physical attributes and I wouldn’t feel the immediate need to revisit specially unless there was either more ale or a cheaper rendition of the two available.
On 23rd August 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5589 recommendations about 5570 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about The Red Lion
The Red Lion in Willingdon is fairly well known as being the pub of the same name mentioned in George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’, but I think that the pub is now far removed from the days when Farmer Jones could have got drunk within its walls as he would have probably been asked to leave as this place has become a thinking man’s pub. The service I received was more than polite and probably what I would expect from an establishment charging a whopping £3.80 for a pint of Guinness. The bar supports six hand pumps and although two of these were off Badger and Tanglefoot were both available from the other four. The draught selection is very limited with the aforementioned Guinness being available alongside Peroni and Stowford Press cider. There is a strong leaning towards food and the kitchen opening times and menu can be found on the pubs website that is linked below. For the size of the pub the actual bar area is quite small as the function room seems to be a main feature and takes up most of the pub. There was some very chilled music playing during my recent week night visit and I spotted signs for regular open mic nights and there is a wine club that often meets.
There is a large car park and some picnics can be found outside the front of the pub and there is an advertised beer garden which I imagine being very nice if the rest of the pub is anything to go by.
This is certainly not the sort of place one goes to have a raucous evening and the pricing dictates that this is not a session pub, but I will have no problem popping back in for a subdued pint or two when I next find myself in this nice village.
On 12th January 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6134 recommendations about 6100 pubs]