Above painting on the Thames at Northfleet, dated 1835, by David Hall M McKewan (1816-73), kindly sent by Clive Cookson. The picture above looks like an earlier version of what is there today and it's suggested that it was in a slightly different location.

Above photo, May 1948, showing Peter Steenhuis in pram. See other photo for 2019.

Above photo, date unknown. Kindly supplied by John Hopperton.

Above photo, date unknown. Kindly supplied by John Hopperton.

Above photo, 2019, showing Peter Steenhuis, same place.

From the https://www.gravesendreporter.co.uk By Olivia Gantzer, 31 January 2018.

Gravesend pub celebrates its 40th year of hosting live music.

Four decades ago, Leo’s The Red Lion pub in Crete Hall Road, Gravesend - which according to owner Terry Lee, would look more fitting in the middle of Camden - began showing live music, and Terry looks back at the last 40 years with pride, as he plans to continue catering for some of the biggest acts and their fans.

Pub owner Terry Lee with his partner Natalie. Picture: Terry Lee.

he said: “This place is so unique and since 1978 the people of Gravesend have been able to enjoy every kind of music here.”

The 40th anniversary of live music will be marked by band The Dualers, who will be performing at the celebration on Friday, May 4.

Terry recalls fondly some of the biggest and best of the industry stepping through the doors of the venue, including Iron Maiden, Gun, Manfred Manns Earth Band, Bad Manners and many more.

Acts performing at the pub. Picture: Terry LeeActs performing at the pub. Picture: Terry Lee.

“Bands like Iron Maiden started off here.

“I remember when they were on tour once and actually asked one evening if they could come back to the pub to play, I had to arrange it all in cognito because of their following at this point, but they did come back because they loved it here.”

The biggest and best acts have always performed at the pub, and Terry remembers it being the norm to see some of them on ‘Top of the Pops’ between playing at The Red Lion.

Terry takes pride in the fact that the venue has always been a platform for bands playing original material, usually progressing onto bigger things soon after.

He added: “These kind of places were and remain to be so important and influential for the music industry.

“It’s sad to see the demise of live music venues, but in this case if people don’t use it, they lose it.”

Having been in the industry for so long, Terry said that the significant decline in pubs is painfully noticeable in the area: “There used to be at least 10 other pubs along this road, I could still name them all.

“The reason this pub is still standing is because of the hard work I have put into it, and the fact that many people do still want to attend local venues that show live music.

“The live music scene deserves places like this to keep it going, and the people of Gravesend are very lucky to have somewhere like this.”

Terry started off by putting on shows at Woodville Hall, before deciding to buy a venue.

Despite the array of acts that Terry has enjoyed throughout the last 40 years, one of his favourites will always be Steve Marriot: “That was quite a moment for me.

“Everyone will have a different favourite and it’s all relative, but he was one of the best performers I’ve seen here.”

The pub also arranges festivals every year, such as Hero Fest, in which every penny raised goes to charity Help for Heroes.

Other music events held by Terry include Leo Fest as well as blues rock festivals.

Considering the demise of places such as these, Terry considers it a true achievement that his small venue is still around, and isn’t showing signs of stopping.

This year in particular has highlighted to Terry the lasting popularity of the pub, he said: “We have never had so many people wanting to play here.

“Now until December we are completely booked.

“I wouldn’t refer to this as a pub now, we are first and foremost a music venue.

“Every now and then we will instead have a tribute act as a bit of fun, but that’s only if the band isn’t around anymore or it’s impossible to get the real thing for whatever reason.”

Despite a long career in the industry, Terry has no intention of stopping any time soon.

“It’s less a labour of love and more an expensive hobby that I never want to give up.”

From an email received 9 January 2023.

Dear Sir,

You may be interested in the fact that the "Red Lion" at Northfleet near Gravesend, which is said on your website to go back to 1755, existed as a public house even much earlier. I have found an entry in a traveller’s diary stating that its author, the young minister Jacob Bernoulli (1654-1705) from Basel, Switzerland, who was later to become well known as a mathematician, stopped by there in 1682:-

“Montags den 14. Aug. S.V. hab ich mich selb dritt mit einem Frantzosen von Rouën und einem Königsberger in einem boot nach Gravesende setzen lassen, ... einkehrt au lion rouge, warteten aldort des Englischen Schiffs, das uns nach Hamburg führen solte.”

Translated:- (On Monday, August 14th Old [Calendar] Style, myself, a Frenchman from Rouen and a man from Königsberg had ourselves conveyed by boat to Gravesend, ... and stopped by at the Red Lion to wait for the English ship that was to bring us to Hamburg.)

By the way, the journey was rendered particularly memorable by the fact that two days later (and again on August 20-22), the travellers sighted a comet – actually the one that became later known as Halley’s Comet.

As a team of historians of science at Basel University, we are presently working at an online edition of Bernoulli’s Travel Diary from 1677-1684 that will be published sometime this year. I thought you might like to be made aware that the Red Lion’s early history is thus connected (in a peripheral way) both to a famous scientist and to a famous celestial phenomenon.

Wishing you a good new year, sincerely yours,

Martin Mattmüller.