The hamlet of Rowsham used to have a thriving malthouse and brewery. There was also a popular pub, ‘The Red Lion’. The Brewery closed in 1939 but the pub carried on trading until 1958.
‘The Red Lion’ public house was set back from the main road through Rowsham on land between Home Farm Cottages and the corner of Maltings Lane, now Manor Road. Comparing old photos of ‘The Red Lion’ with buildings of similar construction it would appear that the earliest thatched Ale House was built sometime in the early sixteenth century and included a cellar for storing the barrels. It is possible that initially the cellar was also used to brew an early version of Rowsham Ale using water from a local well.
The earliest record of a licensed pub on the site is 1768 when Roger Kempster was its licensee. In November 1872, the Clerk of the Peace ordered the Chief Constable of Bucks to draw up a list of all the licensed houses in the county. It lists ‘The Red Lion’ at Rowsham as owned by E M M Lucas of Rowsham, occupied by William Atkins and licensed for over 50 years.
Edward Malin was the landlord from 1876 and following Edward’s death his widow Mary took over the license until the turn of the century. In September 1890 Mary Malin was accused of “having kept open her house for the sale of intoxicating drink during prohibited hours”. PC Medley and Sgt Watson gave evidence that they “watched the house, and between half-past six and a quarter to nine in the morning saw three men enter the premises by the back way”. John Ellis was found with a freshly drawn pint but had not started to drink. Mrs Malin claimed that the beer had been offered in exchange for a gift of vegetables. The case was dismissed and the charges against Mary Malin and John Ellis were withdrawn.
Mary Malin was in the news again in 1896 after a “daring robbery at the Red Lion”. A special session at Linslade Court House in December 1896 heard that two masked men had entered the room in which Mrs Malin and her niece had been sleeping, threatened the women and stole a gold watch and chain, £25 in cash and 150 cigars. Mrs Malin had pulled the mask from one of the men but in court was unable to be sure that the accused in the dock was the burglar. She was commended for her honesty and the defendant was discharged. (The press report at the time does not record whether the free man walked from Linslade Court House sporting a valuable watch and smoking a cigar!)
Henry Badrick & Son (Landlords from 1903-1935) outside ‘The Red Lion’, Rowsham
During the early part of the 20th century ‘The Red Lion’ remained the social centre of Rowsham. These are some memories recorded by those who knew the pub in the 1940s and 1950s:-
“The door from the forecourt opened directly into the Public Room, there was no real bar, only a flap in a doorway where the beer was ordered… no taps in the bar room, every single pint had to be brought up the cellar steps from below where the vats were kept. There was a large fireplace in the Public Room with brick alcoves… tables and settles and a dartboard furnished the room”
“The pub did not have a bar, only one room to sit in. All the beer was brought up from the cellar in jugs and glasses … The floors were stone and tiles. During and after the war they had a darts team and of course the locals played cards and dominoes as a drinking pastime. One important feature of the pub was a pay telephone where villagers could come and use the facility, this was installed before the war when telephones were rare in homes”.
Unfortunately very little investment or modernisation was carried out for decades and in 1957 the owner, Benskins Brewery, stated that the expense of a complete refurbishment or rebuilding of the pub would be prohibitive and not financially viable. Local lobbying to keep the pub open, with the parish council’s unanimous support, was unsuccessful and in 1958 ‘The Red Lion’ in Rowsham finally closed its doors. The historic building, with all its memories, was demolished the year after.
The Red Lion, Rowsham – shortly before closure
Customers outside the Red Lion, Rowsham during the campaign to avoid closure
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This article was prepared using information from the Wingrave with Rowsham Heritage Association booklet ‘Rowsham in the 19th Century’, available for purchase from the Heritage Association: https://wingrave-rowsham-heritage.org.uk/shop
