This was my first visit to this historical pub in Islington. The reason for the visit was the play that was performed, Sweet Meat, written by Ivo de Jager and performed by Matthew Dunlop and Jamie McClean, directed by Conor Geoghegan. Both actors are incredible, their performances very convincing and coherent with the brutal honesty of their characters. The staging is essential, the dialogues are extremely well written, and the subject theme ( 2 people that consciously decide to satisfy each others extreme fantasies ) is treated with respect and insight. There is a strong poetic and literary tradition about Eros and Thanatos, starting from the Greek tragedies and going on until De Sade, Von Sacher-Masoch, Mishima. Cannibalism, for the minds of the 2 people enacting their ultimate (sexual?)fantasies, has an echo that ultimately goes back to the Christian belief of transubstantiation, the sacrifice of Christ that is symbolised by the act of eating the particle, the body of Christ , therefore this ritual in their minds is completely coherent with the ultimate sacrifice, the most courageous of all acts. What is enacted here is a very powerful attempt to describe what went in the minds of 2 consenting adults who wanted to kill and to be eaten. There have been real cases a few years ago, one in Germany if I remember correctly, and a similar case somewhere else, where eventually the courts did not condemn the killer of the consenting person who wanted to be eaten to murder, but instead chose to assign the penalty for manslaughter. Some parts of dialogue are verbatim, so they do give a voice to the inner reading of those 2 people involved. This is a very powerful play, not for the faint hearted, that will stay with you for a long time after you have seen it. It would benefit from a bigger budget, but this venue is perfect in its own unique way and I am not sure if a west end transfer would be beneficial to this masterful play. Anyway I am really impressed. It is on until the 23rd of November, do not miss it !
A giant ruby needing more love. A claim of London's oldest theatre pub & a 600 year history wall is interesting in this vast theatre hall pub. There's a secret route through the back with a hidden, alley space courtyard. Original, highly decorative textured ceiling in red starts the pub in theatrical style, followed by the vintage pattern theatre wall paper. Patterned cut glass front window and internal partition creates a bar in the bar private area. The long bar is simple with an okay range of draught beers 🍻 There's a variety of stool & big sofa seating. The long perimeter bench is heavily taped & there's glimpses of where more love would help polish this heritage property. Decorative pillars & a beautiful feature mirror are set against too many instructions & posters. The bunting works well to the theatrics & the space has fantastic potential being squashed perhaps by the mixed, inconsistent reviews. There's great, easy tunes & plenty of screens for sport. A gem stone of pub history which needs a vibe lift of love.
Very disappointing visit. Should’ve been concerned when other pubs in the area were busy and this was very quiet. Looked very interesting on entry. Decided to order the Ghost Ship which tasted off, so it was replaced with London Pride which also tasted off. This was replaced with Brixton IPA and bags of crisps at no extra. The IPA was perfect. The staff were most apologetic and tried to rectify the situation but overall very disappointing.
Decent Islington pub at the top of St John Street a few yards from Angel tube Station. Two cask beers - and one cider - on handpump when I visited. A few tables outside in a small garden to the rear.
Popular theatre upstairs.
JC
John Carr (Corinne and John)
🚇 Angel
🍺 £6.50 Moretti
An Historic Oldschool Theatre Pub.
The Old Red Lion is located at the northern end of Clerkenwell close to Sadler’s Well Theatre. The nearest Tube is Angel, it’s a two minute walk to get here.
This pub was founded in 1415 which makes this one of the oldest surviving established pubs in London. The original pub appears in the painting "Evening" by 17th century born painter William Hogarth. The building you see today dates from 1899
The Old Red Lion Theatre is located upstairs, it opened its doors in 1979 and is still going strong today. This pub is also home to the Capital Canaries the official London fan club for Norwich City.
This is a traditionally decorated one bar pub that is red by name and red by nature. There is a characterful oldschool feel to the place with a couple of original features surviving. The servery stretches down the right hand side and has a 1930’s back bar. At the front right is a Victorian etched glass glazed screen which divides the main bar with what would have been the old Saloon Bar. The seating is long banquettes, little red stools plus a couple of comfy chesterfields at the far end by the projector screen. One of the most interesting facets of this pub is the historic timeline of the pub which is on the left hand wall, this definitely worth a read as part of a visit here. To cement this pub’s ‘proper pub’ credentials, there is a patterned red carpet running throughout.
The beer selection is good and includes cask and craft beers from local brewers @hammertonbrew , there are also popular mainstream brands too. I decided on a Moretti, my pint hit the spot, price point a little above average. The pub doesn’t have a food menu at present.
I visited a couple of times last year, my last visit was back in October. We arrived just after 12pm so we could have a good look around the pub before it got busy. We met with Guv’nor Damien who was telling us all about the history of the pub and the challenges he faces in running an old theatre pub in London. He also kindly gave me a copy of a book called ‘The Red Lioness’ which is about a woman who visited 650 pubs in 4 years, a kindred spirit.
Visiting The Old Red Lion was an enjoyable experience, who doesn’t love an oldschool boozer. The beer selection was good, there’s lots of history and there’s a passionate Guv’nor at the helm. This pub is well worth a visit if you’re in the area.
ℹ️ Info correct on visiting 14.10.23