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Chat about:
Disappointment of the week with Tris39
on the Pub Forum

Image posted by Ian Mapp
Submitted on Thursday, 20th January 2022
With picture contributions to 1240 other pubs
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Detail Pages
The Red Lion, Barnes, SW13
SW13
SW13 9RU

Reviews of The Red Lion (Average Rating: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Tris C left this review about The Red Lion
Situated along Castelnau, which I had thought was somewhere in Northumbria, but it does actually mean New Castle, so clever me!
This pub would seem to have originated as the Strugglers (see Lincoln) in 1718, rebuilt as a Georgian structure in 1835, an attractive double frontage with semi-circular bays.
Unsurprisingly, the interior is your typical Fuller’s ‘Victorian/Georgian gentlemen’s club’ theme, with turquoise colour scheme along with Arts & Crafts wallpaper and a little bare brick to a cute left-hand snug, though now with ugly bare brick bar back with furniture and décor that befits the ersatz interior. However, to the rear are fantastic, sumptuous dark wooden members, with inverted backlit leaded stained-glass dome, beneath which a live band played at the time of my Saturday 9.25pm visit. Customers are typical middle-class locals, with plenty of rugger-bugger types wearing Barnes RFC-branded fleeces.
Cask amounted to the typical non-descript Fuller’s lineup which no doubt won’t trouble their undiscerning somnambulist client base, my Neck Oil coming in at a painful £3.95 a half, so it wasn’t just the Barnes RFC brigade that was fleeced.
Despite being a bit of a pub hotel bar stereotype, it’s the rear that lifts the place above average, but it can’t justify the slog to get here, nor the Dark Star-free cask options.
On 27th January 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2178 recommendations about 2137 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Red Lion
This is a nice, smartly presented Fullers pub, about a fifteen minute walk from Barnes station and handy for the nearby rugby club and Wetlands Centre. The front entrance is appropriately flanked by two bright red lion statues and leads you into the main bar area, with the servery down the left hand wall. It's a pretty smart affair with a pleasant panelled counter front and tidy mirrored bar back, but the whole servery appears to be a relatively new addition. A few comfy seats can be found to the front, where a TV screen was showing live rugby union with the sound on. Further back, some cool high tables opposite the bar have pump clip displays set beneath glass panes on their tops. Beyond the bar, the room becomes more of a restaurant space, with lots of tables and chairs formally arranged, pre-set and mostly reserved. The whole pub is blessed with amazing leaded, stained-glass windows and to the rear is a large stained glass inverted cupola. A door to the rear leads out to a nice beer garden with a patio area which is mostly given over to al fresco dining tables. Another red lion statue can be found here plus some retro gig posters which dont apear to have any link to the pub. Beyond is a grassy space with plenty more picnic benches.
Fullers ales unsurprisingly dominate the handpulls, with options on this visit comprising Fullers London Pride, ESB and Red Fox (£5.90) plus Dark Star Hophead. A decent craft keg selection, mainly from established London brewers, enhances the selection nicely and the usual Fullers bottled beer range can be found in the fridges. My pint of Red Fox was in good shape, underlining the pub's regular appearance in the Good Beer Guide.
I like this pub, which I think has plenty of interesting features, a cracking beer garden and some well-kept Fullers beer. My main reservation is that with so much of the pub and garden given over to diners, drinkers can feel a little marginalised. It's still well worth a visit though, in order to explore the interior or take advantage of one of London's better beer gardens.
Date of visit - 23rd September 2023
On 1st January 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3306 recommendations about 3306 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Red Lion
The Good Beer Guide entry in Barnes. A fullers house, so you know what you are getting and in keeping with the surroundings, this is a very upmarket instance, catering for dining families coming in off the Barnes Trail.
Personally, if there was only space in the bible for one pub, I'd swap it for the Watermans Arms.
On 20th January 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1518 recommendations about 1499 pubs]
View more reviews of The Red Lion (9)
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- Official site of The Red Lion - www.red-lion-barnes.co.uk
- Randomness Guide to London - Red Lion entry
- Twitter - The Red Lion, Barnes
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Red Lion - whatpub.com
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 01 January 2024 by Pub SignMan
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 01 January 2024 by Pub SignMan
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 26 January 2025 by Tris C
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 29 April 2016 by Rex Rattus
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 26 January 2025 by Tris C
- Car Park : Yes last updated 29 April 2016 by Rex Rattus
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 01 January 2024 by Pub SignMan
- Darts : No last updated 01 January 2024 by Pub SignMan
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 01 January 2024 by Pub SignMan
- Function Room : No last updated 26 January 2025 by Tris C
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 29 April 2016 by Rex Rattus
- Jukebox : No last updated 01 January 2024 by Pub SignMan
- Karaoke : No last updated 01 January 2024 by Pub SignMan
- Live Music : Yes last updated 26 January 2025 by Tris C
- Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 01 January 2024 by Pub SignMan
- Micropub : No last updated 01 January 2024 by Pub SignMan
- Pinball : No last updated 01 January 2024 by Pub SignMan
- Pool Table : No last updated 26 January 2025 by Tris C
- Quiz Night : No last updated 01 January 2024 by Pub SignMan
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 29 April 2016 by Rex Rattus
- Real Cider : No last updated 01 January 2024 by Pub SignMan
- Wheelchair Access : Yes - Disabled WC. - last updated 26 January 2025 by Tris C
- WiFi : Yes last updated 01 January 2024 by Pub SignMan