The Red Lion, SW1

Small, yet beautifully formed. Lovely interior - all etched mirrors. Fullers ESB at well over the £4 a pint mark. Should be expected. Some photos at my walking blog - http://bit.ly/1nVW6J7

Small and beautifully decorative Fullers pub near Piccadilly & posh shopping. Lovely little place and the beers are kept very well.

Another handsome pub, aesthetically pleasing outside & in. Dark wood, lots of etched mirrors, central horsehoe bar encircled by rather cramped narrow drinking area. Busy on arrival (Sat 15:15) and just one barman who did an admirable job but was left rather high & dry by a management who should have had more staff cover if this level of custom is the norm. Not much seating room, front or rear, but peripheral drinking shelves help a little. Pumps offered ‘sip before you sup' tasting and consisted of Pride, Adnams Best, Landlord (reverse clipped), Oakham Inferno & Nethergate Monk's Habit, the latter two in great condition. Beers pulled short but the lone staff was under such pressure I couldn't bring myself to complain, although others later were topped up without problem. Nice little pub, decent beer selection, I'd certainly go back when in area.

Down a side street off Piccadilly, the Red Lion is a small, two bar Fullers pub with a wonderfully preserved Victorian interior. The present building was constructed in 1871, although a pub stood on this site for many years prior to that. The present day pub is divided into two rooms – one at the front and another to the rear, separated by a central servery which serves both areas. The front room has some rather cramped fixed bench seating under the large windows with their beautiful etched floral patterns. The doorways here have snow flake designs in their glasswork and a central set of double doors bears the sign ‘Public Bar’, giving a hint to the previous layout. The place must have been extremely cramped back in the day, as a ‘Private Bar’ sign can be found a short distance to the right, indicating that these front rooms would have been very compact indeed. The servery is predominantly dark wood with some intricate detailing, a ‘Red Lion’ sign above the bar back and a more modern looking etched glass gantry. The right hand wall and much of the back wall in the rear bar, has been covered in magnificent cut glass mirrors, creating a dazzling display that must have wowed visitors for over a century now. The rear bar has a couple of high tables and stools plus some drinking ledges, but is best used as an escape from the inevitably packed front room. My post-work, mid-week visit saw the place absolutely rammed, making it particularly difficult to get a good look around, although I’m sure with a more prudent choice of visiting time, this shouldn’t necessarily prove so difficult. Five ales from the Fullers range were available – London Pride, Chiswick, ESB, Seafarers and Wild River. I hadn’t seen the latter available for a long time, so decided to give it a try at £4.15 and thought it was very well kept and probably not much pricier than the average for this part of the city. This is a fine pub that really is worth taking time out to visit in order to marvel at the wonderful interior. This, coupled with the prospect of a reliable pint, makes it the ‘must-visit’ pub in the area and a good starting point for anyone interested in London’s heritage pubs.