The Red Lion is a disused public house on Soho Road, in the Handsworth district of Birmingham, England.
| Red Lion | |
|---|---|
 The building in August 2013 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Disused |
| Type | Public house |
| Address | 270, Soho Road, Handsworth |
| Town or city | Birmingham |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 52°30′15″N 1°56′17″W / 52.504173°N 1.937968°W |
| Completed | 1901 |
| Client | Holt Brewery |
| Designations | Grade II listed |
A pub has stood on the site since 1829.[1] The then building was purchased by the Holt Brewery in 1893 and the current building was erected for them in 1901[a] by the local architects James and Lister Lea.[1] It was taken over by Ansells on their acquisition of Holt in 1934.
The three-storey building, in brick with a brick and two-tone terracotta facade, a Welsh slate roof and a polygonal corner tower surmounted by a cupola.,[2] was granted grade II listed protection in January 1985.[2]
Having closed in 2008,[1] the pub was put up for auction in October 2014, but failed to sell. As of December 2015[update], it is unused, and is considered "at risk" by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), and by Historic England, who placed it on their Heritage at Risk Register for 2015.[3] It retains what CAMRA have described as:[3]
a spectacular interior including floor–to-ceiling tiles in passages, ornate bar fittings, four tiled paintings, and panelled 'coffee room'... and a magnificent bar back of mahogany and gilded, painted and etched mirrors featuring Holt Brewery lettering and squirrel motifs
Notes
edit- ^ At which time Handsworth was still part of Staffordshire; it did not become part of Birmingham until 1911
References
edit- ^ a b c "Birmingham, Handsworth, Red Lion". Historic Pub Interiors. Campaign for Real Ale. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ^ a b Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1276278)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Pubs in Peril". Historic Pub Interiors. Campaign for Real Ale. Retrieved 21 December 2015.