The Red Lion had its origins in Tudor Times. In 1810 it was for sale and the title deeds traced the ownership of the back to 1682.
It catered for horse-drawn coaches and offered full residential services. On 18th September 1732 the 2nd Earl of Oxford stayed there, he was en-route from Norwich possibly to Houghton Hall. He was not enamoured of either Fakenham or the Inn and wrote in his diary – 'We left Norwich and came to Fakenham. We came there in good time. The town is a very poor town, but it was the only place we could stay at to make our journey right. We lay at the “Red Lion” kept by one Cook, a sorry house'.
In August 1738 a fire broke out in a baker’s shop in the Market Place and twenty-six buildings were destroyed. The fire was on the north side, the Church was damaged as was the Red Lion. The building ran in a north south direction, and much of that old structure remains, as does that wing that is now the adjoining charity shop in Upper Market Place. The current frontage was added after the fire and dates from the mid1700s. The building works included the erection of Gurneys Bank on the east side of the Inn. The covered entrance to the yard and stables joins the two new buildings.
The Plan shows the new frontage and Gurney's Bank built after the fire. Interestingly the East of England Bank is shown in what is now part of Boots. Click on Plan to enlarge.
Previously known as The Sign of the Red Lion, it was renamed as the Lion Hotel in the 19th century. When the railways arrived it offered horse drawn transport to the two railway stations as did the rival Crown. Its stable yard and bowling green have been re-developed as sheltered housing.
In 1816 one notice reported the following:
For the better accommodation of the Public, the Proprietors of the OLD FAKENHAM COACH to London, inform their friends, they have removed their Coach from Mr. R. Hastings, the Red Lion Inn, to a House in the Market-place exactly opposite, and within two doors of the Crown Inn, where Places and Parcels will in future be taken in and booked.
The Coach will also go from the door at the usual time, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, at twelve o’clock at noon, to the White Horse Inn, Fetter Lane, London. Performed by Messrs. EAMES, BRYANT , GOLDING, PRYOR and Co. Fakenham 28th December 1816
The Coach would take passengers to the Railway Stations.
Dorothy, granddaughter of Richard Richardson of The Bell, recalled that The Fly was drawn by one horse with the driver sat very high. The door was at the back with one step up and with straw on the floor.
The photo shows the Parish pump with its gas light. The Gurney's bank building has not yet been altered, The HSBC bank site has not been re-developed nor has Aldiss’s Art Deco front been added.
The Edward VIIth Coronation Lamp stands in front of the Red Lion. It was commissioned by public subscription and was ready in time for the June coronation though this had to be postponed to August due to the King’s appendicitis. Originally sited where the War Memorial stands, it had two further moves before ending up here when the Market Place was redesigned.
The Red Lion was not just an inn, it was a centre of town activities. According to a report in the Northampton Mercury of 23rd March 1778, 200 labourers met with the Justices at the Red Lion Hotel to complain about the high prices of the necessities of life and of low wages. The Magistrates were unsympathetic, this provoked shouts, threats and a few broken windows, to prevent further disorder a troop of horse was called for. In the 1840s there were frequent auction sales of property, furniture and other items. Stage coaches continued to run to several destinations. Mr. White, a Norwich dentist, called regularly to treat patients.
Fakenham Petty Sessions were sometimes held as were meetings of organisations such as the Friendly Provident Society and bankruptcy hearings. Balls were held with tickets for ladies at five shillings and seven shillings for men. Riders at the Fakenham Steeple Chase events registered and paid their entrance fees at the Inn. Later it served as the offices of North Norfolk District Council, The Town Council and the Registrar’s office. Now it trades as The Red Lion Lounge.
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You should now walk up Norwich Street, its Plaque is some 50 yards on the left on No15 Fakenham Eyewear.