Yet another Clitheroe boozer that is not with us any more.The original Red Lion use to be just yards up the road.One of the earliest records of the Red Lion is in 1766 when it stood facing Pit Lane,today known as Parson Lane.It has also been known as The Cross Keys and Medcalfs.This original Red Lion was pulled down in 1849 and the new one built on the rear part of the former site,which measured 750 square yards.The 'Old' Red Lion was quite a curiosity,because it had four different stages of domestic architecture,parts were added because of the increase of trade and public necessity.The inn had four different styles of window.An ancient door opened directly onto Castle Street,and was reached by a flight of stone steps.The kitchen was very old and was entered by another flight of steps.In front of the kitchen,lighted with diamond panes of glass,was an old tiled pavement.At the end of the inn was a small representation of something trying to look like a red lion,but was treated as a joke because of the size of it.A new wing was built on the land which the owners got from the highway,causing an extremely sharp angle in the road,which lead to many accidents."The Red Lion" corner became quite unpleasantly notorious.Probably the most amusing and bizarre thing people use to say is that,on the site of the Red Lion,there had a been an inn there since Roman times,because part of the old flooring consisted of Roman Tiles.There may be a Roman Road by passing Clitheroe,but this theory is of course complete crap.Today the Red Lion is a couple of gift shops with a cobblers around the back.

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The Red Lion

Taken around the time The Red Lion shut in the 1960's.