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The following passage kindly compiled by Peter
Chamberlain from the history section of the Hythe library.
The Red Lion Hotel, Hythe
The Name
Most details of the Inn, now known as the "Red Lion," have changed over
the years. The site on which it stands was once known as Market Square
and sometimes the address was given as No. 1 Dymchurch Road. The change
from Market Square to Red Lion Square took place about 1914.
The Inn itself changed name – and not only in recent years. It is
possible that an inn or hotel stood on or near this site from 1622,
named the "Market Hotel."
In 1695 the inn was called “The Three Mariners”,
and this remained until 1723, 1754 or even 1800 – depending upon which
documents you read. One original train of thought was that the original
owner (who named the Inn “The Three Mariners”) moved from the premises
and took the name with him to the Inn in Windmill Street which now bears
the name. Further investigation has denied this as, at one time, both
establishment were trading under the same name.
The names have their own histories;
The "Three Mariners" started as a folk tale from the 17th/18th Century but
before the story, consider the Inn Sign…. which depicts ONE mariner –
usually with outstretched arms. The story goes that three mariners were
either shipwrecked on a remote island or cast adrift in a boat or
otherwise thrust into a situation where three seafaring persons were in
close proximity and starving. Well, push came to shove and, gory details
aside, only one of them survived. This mariner, when rescued, tried to
convince his rescuers and, more to the point, his employers that he was
worth three times his wages as he had er… assimilated.. two other
mariners. This explains the outstretched arms of the remaining mariner –
do you know any fishermen?
The tale is told (and may even have been created) by W. S. Gilbert (of
Gilbert and Sullivan fame) in his “Bab Ballads” as “The Yarn of the
Nancy Bell” where the rescued mariner describes himself as …a cook and a
captain bold and the mate of the Nancy brig; and a bo'sun tight and a
midshipmite and the crew of the captain's gig”. Somewhat more than
three, but the storyline is the same, though rather more graphic.
“The Red Lion” is the most common pub or inn name in Great Britain. As
it originally dates back to the 14th century, the derivation of any
particular pub's name cannot be certain unless the date at which the
name was first used can be ascertained. In the case of the Hythe "Red
Lion," the dates when it changed from the "Three Mariners" to the "Red Lion"
(1723 – 1800) preclude the best known origins – that of the badge of
John of Gaunt in the 14th century, and that James 1st (of England) who,
in the 17th century, decreed that every public building should show the
sign of the "Red Lion" (of Scotland). Surely, in this case, all pubs and
inns would have been called the "Red Lion" – or, more confusingly, have
displayed the "Red Lion" but still have been called their old name; thus
bringing about “The Stoat and Anvil at the sign of the Red Lion” for
example…
The best bet about the Hythe "Red Lion's" name is that the landlord or
owner wanted to curry favour with the local landowner of the time who,
being probably at least partly English, would have had a "Red Lion" as
part of his Coat of Arms. An alternative would be that the landlord at
the time was particularly unimaginative. A possibly more than believable
speculation that, following the end of James 1st's reign there were a
great number of signs and paraphernalia showing "Red Lions" – one of which
would look very nice above the front door of an Inn which shared a name
with another…..
Dates in the Red Lion's History:-
1604 Possibly a Market Hotel on Market Square – actual site not known.
1622 First mention of owner – Robert Finch
1623 owner Clement Harding
1624,25 owner Robert Harding
The following names were either the owner or licensee
1626 Robert Boys
1633 William Fanning
1637 John Brett
1639 James Fordred
1643 Janet Munro
1645 Thomas Newman
1695 First mention of The Three Mariners
1707 Valentine Therbane
1708 William Monger
Bought by Thomas Slodden – beer brewer – for £70
1754 Will of Nicolas Binfield mentions “Three Mariners”
1772 Edmund Harrison
1775 John Gibbs
1779 Alan Colyer
1791 Richard Friend –
was he one of the Friend family who ran the Brewery opposite?
1796 Edward Hammond
1800 James Elvey
From this date the names are probably those of licensees /landlords as
the inn was apparently part of the brewery estate which was sold by John
Friend to Henry and William Mackeson in 1800.
BUT – neither the "Three Mariners" nor the "Red Lion" is mentioned in the
Indenture regarding the sale. (Copy in Hythe Library)
Dates in the Red Lion's History: cont.
1801 James Watts
From 1805 to 1830, the Coroner's court was held at the "Red Lion" (see
later)
1817 Ed. Watts
1821 “Red Lion Hythe valued at £1,300” – by comparison, the "King's Head"
was
valued at £1,000 and the "Duke's Head" at £1,200.
1827 Abraham Chapple
1828/9 Ed. Watts
1832-47 Thos. King
1836 The "Red Lion" was the at centre of the Hythe cattle market. “The
ordinary of the "Red Lion" was attended by up to fifty buyers and
sellers of stock whereupon, “appropriate toasts were drunk”
(The “ordinary” was a public room where travellers and visitors would
take the meal of the day – no choice, but usually at least two courses,
the meal was also called “the ordinary”
1852 William King
1855/58 Thomas King
1859 James Smith
1862/82 Vince Gardner
1862 The Folkestone Artillery Band and the Hythe Volunteer Band played
through the town between 7 and 8 pm then proceeded to the "Red Lion Inn"
“where a few hours were spent in harmony and conviviality”.
1887 Mrs Elizabeth Perry
1896 The "Red Lion" was the HQ of the Hythe Cycling Club
1891-1916 Joseph Boorman
Dates in the Red Lion's History: cont.
1918/19 James Armour In 1918 Mrs E. Armour was fined 10/- for failing to
subdue lights
1920 The Mackeson Company – and hence the "Red Lion" – acquired by H & G Simonds – brewers of Reading
1921 A. E. Solly
1929 Audit recorded rent as £70, and Rates as £30. Stock for the year
consisted of 246 barrels, 2818 bottles (pints and half pints, 317
crates, 135 gallons of wine and 193 gallons of spirits.
The brewery owners, Simonds, sold their share capital to Jude Hanbury.
Some of the purchase price supplied by Whitbreads.
1934 Brewery and tied houses sold to Whitbread Fremlins
1968 Brewing ceased at the old Mackeson's Brewery opposite the Inn.
1973 The current building was listed Grade II
2000 Sept. Re-opened as “The Watersedge” with particularly inept sign of
a canal barge – none of which had ever been seen on the Hythe Military
Canal.
2005 July Re-opened as the "Red Lion" by Jim and Julia Brown.
2007 Nov. Jim Brown left blaming the smoking ban which he said in a
newspaper feature had reduced takings by 40%.
2008 to Date
The Building:-
Going back to the name change discussion, David Harper, in his book “The
Inn behind the Sign” about the Whitbread Inn Sign collection, prefers
the later date of 1801 when he says that “this house, then named the
"Three Mariners," plus cottage and stables, were included in the assets
sold”. This sale was that of John Friend's brewery to Henry and William Mackeson. “The purchase price was £700 – 28 time the annual rent of £25.
At this time the insurance covered “a pub and stables”. In 1821, on the
death of William Mackeson, a valuation of the estate includes “the
hotel”. This would coincide with the completion of the current building.
The “Listed Building” details call the building “early 19th century”.
In 1891 the Sandgate tram line was extended from the Seabrook Hotel
(now the Hotel Imperial) to Red Lion Square which, no doubt, improved
the Inn's takings. It is possible that the stables at the "Red Lion" were
pressed into service as tram sheds and/or stabling for the horses or
mules while the more permanent sheds were built on the corner of the
original Rampart Road (now the un-named parking area to the North of
Rampart Road). The roof of the permanent shed can still be seen from
outside the "Red Lion."
In 1894, “the brewers removed the old tram shed”
which supports the theory.
Most of the photographs of the "Red Lion" at the time were unintentional
as the photographers were portraying the various tram vehicles parked or
travelling in front of the inn. The odd one out is of the Hythe Cycling
Club – again, with the Inn in the background. New-fangled tramcars and
bicycles were far more interesting than coaching inns at the time.
However, the frontage shows some of the original features which suggest
that the pub and the Inn occupied separate ends of the building. The Mackeson Ales windows at the Eastern end show where the pub half was
located.
Other Users
In addition to the normal business of catering for travellers from the
stage coaches and trams together with the local trade of supplying the
local thirsty with beer, wines and spirits, the "Red Lion" played host to
various clubs, societies and some professional concerns. In the Dates
section, we see that the Hythe Cycling Club made the "Red Lion" their
Headquarters in 1896 and it seemed to be the rallying point (or at least
the dispersal point) of the Hythe Volunteer Band in 1862. The "Red Lion's"
situation adjacent to the cattle market (Red Lion Square was previously
Market Square) made it the ideal place to complete deals and to drown
sorrows after a less than successful day.
In addition to the various clubs and societies mentioned, visitors with
more serious intent made use of the "Red Lion." From 1805 to 1830 the
Coroner's court was held at the Inn. A booklet detailing these
“Coroners' Inquisitions” gives both everyday and somewhat macabre Causes
of Death; from “Departed this life by the visitation of God in a natural
way”, “Fell into Royal Military Canal while intoxicated and drowned”,
to “Not being of sound mind, memory or understanding, lunatik, hung
himself”. In these less than enlightened times, suicides were assumed to
be insane and the verdict of “lunacy” was pronounced. With the proximity
of the Royal Military Canal and the large number of troops around,
drowning in the canal figured regularly in the Coroner's lists. It is
not recorded whether the Inn was wholly occupied by the Coroner's court
or whether locals and visitors were also present during the Coroners
deliberations…
“Oh no!, not another lunatik - is it your round Harry?”
“Makes a change from all the drownin's last week Bert – no it ain't.”
The Red Lion in fiction
The "Red Lion" is mentioned in several of Russell Thorndike's “Doctor Syn”
stories but not as a haunt of smugglers; rather a coaching inn where
visitors to the area would take refreshment while the horses were
changed. It was here that Captain Foulkes was the centre of attention
when he arrived without his valuables and boots having been robbed by
highwayman Jimmie Bone on Stone Street. (“The Shadow of Syn” 1944).
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