The Red Lion, Eastbourne

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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 28^th December 2011 - rating: 7
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