Maps
The Red Lion, Henley
Left bank, immediately below Henley Bridge
Here, it is said, stayed King Charles I, Boswell and King George III.
Postcard, undated, The Red Lion, Henley
1873, Advertisement
Scratched on a window pane at the Red Lion by William Shenstone 1714 - 1763 Listen to 'To thee, fair Freedom ...' -
To thee, fair Freedom! I retire,
From flattery, cards, and dice, and din;
Nor art thou found in mansions higher
Than the low cot, or humble inn.
'Tis here with boundless power I reign,
And every health which I begin,
Converts dull port to bright champagne;
Such Freedom crowns it, at an inn.
I fly from pomp, I fly from plate,
I fly from Falsehood's specious grin;
Freedom I love, and form I hate,
And choose my lodgings, at an inn.
Here, waiter! take my sordid ore,
Which lackeys else might hope to win;
It buys what courts have not in store,
It buys me Freedom, at an inn.
Whoe'er has travell'd life's dull round,
Where'er his stages may have been,
May sigh to think he still has found
The warmest welcome - at an inn.
1906: Henry Wellington Wack, In Thamesland, commented on this poem as an American -
This is a libel on English hospitality; but those foreigners who have lived most in England
have always observed that John Bull is his own severest critic, and will continually
say things of himself which if uttered by others he would vigorously challenge.
As to the truest English hospitality, it equals in all respects and excels in some,
the rarest hospitality in the world.
The hospitality which, as a boy, I enjoyed in my home in the Southern States of the Union,
which later in life I felt with recurring pleasure in California, France, Germany, and Italy,
all differed essentially in form and manifestation from that of England,
but in genuineness none excelled it.
Indeed the cultured English host recognises gentility long before the cold, glassy,
money-gaze and estimate of the American permit him to observe its first sign!
[ Henry, for that we could almost wish you had been born an Englishman, but with a name like yours regret that you would never have survived an English public school. ]
Charles Mackay also commented on Shenstone's poem in "The Thames and its Tributaries" 1840 -
Henley is a town of considerable antiquity, of which, however, it bears not the slightest trace, having a jaunty and modern air, like a thing of yesterday.
It was upon the accommodation of one of its inns, but whether the Bell or the Red Lion, it is now difficult to determine,
that the poet Shenstone wrote those oft-quoted lines, which are a sad libel upon English hospitality
...
if Shenstone meant and felt them, he was a very unfortunate man, and knew not what it was to have a friend.
But he did not mean them. Half of the smart things that are written in disparagement of human nature, are written by people who do not mean them;
and no doubt Shenstone would have felt himself insulted, if anybody had asked whether he did not give his brother poet, the author of the " Seasons,"
when he invited him to the Leasowes, a more cordial welcome, than the mercenary greeting of an inn.
It is all very well, as Shenstone says, to "fly from falsehood's specious grin";
but what necessity is there to fly from plate, and what connexion is there between plate and falsehood? unless perhaps in plated copper.
Shenstone was in an ill-humour when he wrote; and his praise of the inn of Henley must be taken for no more than it is worth.
We are of the other opinion, and detest the civility and scorn it, that is only to be purchased by half-a-crown to the waiter.
Red Lion Hotel, Henley, Mortimer Menpes, 1906
Red Lion, Henley
1886: A Lay Of The “Lion” At Henley, Joseph Ashby-Sterry
Listen to 'A Lay Of The “Lion”' -
‘TIS joyful to run from the turmoil of town,
To flee from its worry and bustle;
To put on your flannels and get your hands brown
Is good for the mind and the muscle.
When Goodwood is done and the Season is o’er,
‘Tis pleasant the river to ply on,
Or lounge on the lawn, free from worry and bore,
At the “Lion” !
‘Tis a finely toned, picturesque, sunshiny place,
Recalling a dozen old stories;
With a rare British, good-natured, ruddy-hued face,
Suggesting old wines and old Tories:
Ah, many’s the magnum of rare crusted port,
Of vintage no one could cry fie on,
Has been drunk by good men of the old-fashioned sort
At the “Lion” !
O, sweet is the exquisite lime-scented breeze
Awaft o’er the Remenham reaches !
What lullaby lurks in the music of trees,
The concert of poplars and beeches !
Shall I go for a row, or lounge in a punt,
The stream - half asleep – throw a fly on?
Or watch pretty girls feed the cygnets in front
Of the “Lion”?
I see drifting by such a smart little crew,
Bedight in most delicate colours,
In ivory white and forget-me-not blue –
A couple of pretty girl scullers.
A pouting young puss, in the shortest of frocks –
A nice little nautical scion-
The good ship she steers, like a clever young “cox”
Past the “Lion” !
I lazily muse and I smoke cigarettes,
While rhymes I together am stringing;
Listen and nod to the dreamy duets
The girls on the first-floor are singing.
The sunshine is hot and the summer-breeze sighs,
There’s scarcely a cloudlet the sky on –
Ah ! Were it but cooler, how I’d moralize
At the ”Lion” !
But who can be thoughtful, or lecture, or preach,
While Harry is flirting with Ella,
Or the red lips of Rosie pout over a peach,
Half hid by her snowy umbrella?
The Infant is drifting down in her canoe,
The Rector his cob canters by on;
The church clock is chiming a quarter past two,
Near the “Lion” !
Shall I drop off to sleep, or moon here all day,
And drowsily finish my ballad?
No ! “Luncheon is ready”, I hear someone say;
“A lobster, a chicken, a salad”:
A cool silver cup of the beadiest ale,
The white table cloth I descry on –
So clearly ‘tis time I concluded my tale
Of the “Lion” !
1923: The Glories of the Thames, a Great Western railway Publication -
Close to the river bank stands the Red Lion Hotel, the eventful career of which began in Stuart times,
if not earlier.
Charles I slept there in 1632, and the royal cypher and crown placed over
the mantelpiece of the room he occupied, to commemorate the event were discovered and
restored a few years ago.
It was while enjoying the hospitality of the Red Lion
on his way to Blenheim that Dr Johnson gravely delivered himself of the opinion that
'there is nothing which has yet been contrived by man by which so much happiness is produced
as by a good tavern or inn'.
The old house appears to have maintained its reputation in the next generation, for George
the Magnificent came there to taste the small mutton chops for which the then landlady, Mrs Dixon,
was famous. After consuming fourteen of them, His Majesty is said to have propounded an idea
almost as self-evident as that of Johnson, namely,
that 'the proof of the pudding is in the eating'.
1826: The Henley Guide. Full text and prints -
COACHES AND WAGGONS, IN AND OUT OF HENLEY. NOVEMBER 30, 1826.
COACHES.
The OLD HENLEY COACH, sets out from the Coach Office, Red
Lion Inn, Henley, every morning (Sunday excepted), at a Quarter
before Seven, through Wargrave and Hare Hatch, to the
Angel Inn, behind St. Clements Church, Strand. — Returns from
thence at One o'clock in the afternoon, calls at the New White
Horse Cellar, Piccadilly ; sets out from thence at Two o'clock,
and arrives at Henley at Seven in the evening.
The NEW HENLEY COACH, THE REGULATOR, leaves the Bull Inn,
Henley, every morning (except Sunday), at a Quarter before
Seven o'clock, through Hurley Bottom, to the Black Lion,
Water-Lane, Fleet-Street. — Returns from thence at Half-past
Two in the afternoon, and arrives at Henley, at Half-past Seven
o'clock. — This Coach leaves Henley every Monday morning at
a Quarter before Five o'clock.
ABINGDON DEFIANCE COACH. — Up every morning at a Quarter
past Eleven ; — down every afternoon at One. — Changes at the
Catherine Wheel.
ABINGDON POST COACH. — Up Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
mornings at Eleven o'clock ; — down Wednesday, Friday,
and Monday mornings, at Twelve. — Changes at the White Hart.
BIRMINGHAM PRINCE OF WALES COACH. — Up every morning at
Six ; — down at Eight in the evening. — Changes at the White
Hart.
BIRMINGHAM COACH. — Up every afternoon at Four; — down
at Eleven in the morning. — Changes at the White Hart.
CHELTENHAM COACH, THE MAGNET. — Up every afternoon at Half-
past One ; — down every morning at Ten (Sundays excepted). —
Changes at the Catherine Wheel.
CHELTENHAM COACH, THE BERKELEY HUNT. — Up every afternoon
at One ; — down every morning at Ten (Sundays excepted). —
Changes at the White Hart.
CHELTENHAM TWO-DAY COACH, THE DEFIANCE.— Up every morning
at Half-past Eleven — down at One.— Changes at the Catherine
Wheel.
GLOUCESTER MAIL. — Up at Two in the morning ; — down at
Twelve at night. — Changes at the White Hart.
OXFORD ACCOMMODATION COACH.— Up every morning at Half-
past Eleven ; — down at One in the afternoon. — Changes at the
White Hart.
OXFORD LIGHT POST COACH. — Up every morning at Half-past
Ten; — down ataQuarter before Two in the afternoon. — Changes
at the White Hart.
OXFORD AND CHELTENHAM LIGHT COACH, THE DEFIANCE. — Up every
morning at a Quarter past Eleven ; — down every afternoon at
One. — Changes at the Catherine Wheel.
STROUDWATER COACH. — Up at Three in the morning ; — down at
Eleven at night (except Sundays). — Changes at the Three
Tuns.
STROUDWATER POST COACH. — Up at Three in the afternoon ; —
down at Twelve at noon. — Changes at the White Hart.
WANTAGE AND WALLINGFORD COACH. — Up Monday, Wednesday,
and Friday mornings, at a Quarter past Eleven ; — down Tuesday,
Thursday, and Saturday mornings, at Half-past Twelve.—
Calls at the Catherine Wheel.
WORCESTER COACH, THE SOVEREIGN. — Up every afternoon at
Three; — down every morning at Ten. — Changes at the White
Hart.
WAGGONS.
Brangwin's Wallingford, Nettlebed, and Henley Waggons, set
out from the George Inn, Wallingford, every Monday and
Thursday mornings at Four o'clock, and his Office, Marketplace,
Henley, at Nine o'clock, for the White Horse, Friday-
Street, Cheapside, arrive there Tuesday and Friday mornings
at Four o'clock. Return from thence, Tuesday and Friday
mornings, at Eleven o'clock ; arrive at Henley, Wednesday
and Saturday mornings at Nine o'clock ; and at Wallingford,
every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon at Four. Call at the
Old White Horse Cellar, White Bear, and Black Bear, Piccadilly.
Morgans' Wallingford, Nettlcbed, and Henley Waggons, leave
the Feathers Inn, in the Market-Place, Wallingford, every
Monday and Thursday mornings at Four o'clock ; and their
Warehouse, in Duke-Street, Henley, the same mornings at Nine
o'clock ; arrive at Gerrard's Hall, Basing-Lane, Bread-Street,
Cheapside, London, on Tuesday and Friday mornings, at Five
o'clock. Return from thence the same mornings at Eleven
o'clock ; arrive at Henley, on Wednesdays and Saturdays at
Eight o'clock, and at Wallingford at Four o'clock in the afternoon.
Parcels booked at the Old White Horse Cellar and
White Bear, Piccadilly.
(Upstream to Henley Bridge)
Estuary
PLA
QEII Br
Barrier
Tower Br
Custom Ho
London Br
; Frost Fairs
Cannon St Rb
The Great Stink
Southwark Br
Millenium Br
Blackfriars Rb
Blackfriars Br
Waterloo Br
Charing Cross Rb
Westminster Br
Lambeth Br
Vauxhall Br
Victoria Rb
Chelsea Br
Albert Br
Battersea Br
Battersea Rb
Wandsworth Br
Fulham Rb
Putney Br
Hammersmith Br
Barnes Rb
Chiswick Br
Kew Rb
Kew Br
RICHMOND
Twickenham Br
Richmond Rb
Richmond Br
TEDDINGTON
Kingston Rb
Kingston Br
Ditton Slip
Hampton Br
MOLESEY
SUNBURY
Walton Br
Desborough Cut
SHEPPERTON
Chertsey Br
CHERTSEY
M3 Br
Laleham Slip
PENTON HOOK
Staines Rb
Staines Br
Runnymede Br
BELL WEIR
Magna Carta Is
OLD WINDSOR
Albert Br
Datchet
Victoria Br
Black Potts Rb
ROMNEY
Eton
Windsor Br
Windsor Rb
Windsor Slip
Elizabeth Br
BOVENEY
Dorney Lake
York Cut
Summerleaze Fb
MonkeyIsland
New Thames Br
BRAY
Bray Slip
Maidenhead Rb
Maidenhead Br
Below Boulters
BOULTERS
Cliveden
Hedsor
COOKHAM
Cookham Slip
Cookham Br
BourneEnd RFb
Quarry Woods
A404 Br
MARLOW
Marlow Br
Bisham
TEMPLE
HURLEY
Medmenham
Culham Ct
Aston Slip
HAMBLEDEN
Temple Is
Fawley Ct
Remenham
Regatta
Phyllis Ct
Henley Slip
Leander
Red Lion
Henley Br
Angel on Br
Landing
Hobbs Boatyard
Hobbs Slipway
MARSH
Hennerton
Bolney
Wargrave
Shiplake Rb
R.Loddon
SHIPLAKE
Sonning Br
SONNING
Dreadnought
K&A Canal
CAVERSHAM
Reading Br
Caversham Br
Reading Slip
Purley
MAPLEDURHAM
Hardwick Ho
Whitchurch Br
WHITCHURCH
Hartswood Reach
Gatehampton Rb
Goring Gap
Goring Br
GORING
Swan
CLEEVE
Moulsford
Moulsford Rb
Papist Way Slip
Winterbrook Br
Wallingford Br
BENSON
Shillingford Br
R.Thame
DAYS
Burcot
Clifton Hampden
Clifton Church
Clifton H Br
Barley Mow
Long Wittenham
CLIFTON
Appleford Rb
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Br
CULHAM
Culham Cut Fb
Abingdon Slip
Abingdon
Abingdon Br
ABINGDON
Nuneham Rb
Nuneham
Nuneham Park
Radley Boats
SANDFORD
Rose Island
Kennington Rb
Isis Br
Iffley Mill
IFFLEY
Oxford Rowing
Isis
Donnington Br
Riverside Slip
Boathouses
Punting
Lower Cherwell
Upper Cherwell
Islip
Head of River
Salters Steamers
Folly Br
Bacons Folly
Oxford Fb
Osney Fb
Weir stream
Osney Rb
Bullstake Stream
Osney Marina
OSNEY
Osney Br
Four Rivers
OLD RIVER
CANAL
Medley Weir Site
Medley Fb
Bossoms
Perch
Trout
GODSTOW
Godstow Nunnery
Godstow Br
Thames Br
KINGS
River Evenlode
EYNSHAM
Swinford Br
Oxford Cruisers
PINKHILL
Farmoor
Stanton Harcourt
Bablock Slip
Arks Weir Site
NORTHMOOR
Harts Fb
//Rose Revived
Newbridge
//Maybush
River Windrush
below Shifford
SHIFFORD
Shifford Fb
Tenfoot Fb
Trout Inn
Tadpole Br
RUSHEY
Old Mans Fb
RADCOT
Radcot Cradle Fb
Swan Inn
Radcot New Br
Radcot Old Br
GRAFTON
Eaton Hastings
Kelmscott
Eaton Fb
BUSCOT
Bloomers Hole Fb
Trout Inn
St Johns Br
ST JOHNS
Halfpenny Br
Marina Slip
LIMIT
Inglesham
Hannington Br
Kempsford
Castle Eaton Br
Marston Meysey
A419 Br
Cricklade
SOURCE?
THAMES HEAD
SEVEN SPRINGS