The Red Lion in Langley

Transcript

Pub’s legacy lives on

THE Red Lion in Langley was constructed during the 17th century in a village which at the time consisted of St Mary’s Church, a manor and a small house against the wall of the churchyard where the parish priest lived.

The only other building which the church owned at this time was the building across the road known as the Red Lion.

Originally it was the parish church house and like so many other buildings of a similar nature, it was eventually turned into a public house.

This building in the 17th century was known as a church house whose main purpose was to raise money for the upkeep of the church and for the relief of the poor and the sale of church ales.

It was a place where people who lived in the parish were expected to buy ale made from corn which was given to the church. These buildings were normally two stories with the ground floor used for brewing and the upstairs for feasting and drinking. The church house can best be compared to a modern day church hall.

The oldest parts of the Red Lion date from the 16th century which includes its well-preserved jettied frontage.

For more than 250 years the building was known as Church House in the manorial and parochial records. In 1629 churchwardens accounts record the receipt of £1 “for the rent of Churchhowse” but no further details are recorded.

The manorial court rolls for Langley Marish show that the occupier of the Church House as William Miller in 1778.

Though the building was held by the church, it was not a freehold property, but a copyhold property which meant the building was principally owned by the Lord of the Manor of Langley.

This arrangement continued until 1937, but remained in ownership of the church until it was sold in 1949.

Since then it has been refurbished, during which more evidence for its 16th origins have been uncovered.

The building continues to flourish and its legacy lives on.

Image: The Red Lion in Langley

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