The Golden Lion History

There were many beer houses in the town up to and including the Edwardian period. Most directories of the county such as “Whites” and Kelly’s”, which cover the years from 1850, list approximately 15 beer houses in Queen Street alone, these, however, should not be confused with the Inns and Hotels of which many still survive today. Surely we can safely assume that the sailors, miners and railroad navvies would frequent the beer houses where beer was cheaper and not, as suggested by other historians, the town’s higher class Inns and Hotels. 

I Cannot imagine Isambard Kingdom Brunel, for instance, frequenting The Old Bear or The Golden Lion and rubbing shoulders with the navvies he employed on the building of his atmospheric railway. Nor would the hosts consider allowing them into these rooms that were continually receiving weary travelers, of whom many were wealthy businessmen.

The Inn that can proudly boast of being the oldest in the town is The Golden Lion. Originally called The Oxford Arms its foundations were laid in 1623, and its name changed to The Golden Lion in 1722. The Bear Inn stood too many yards away and for many years it was assumed that the “Bear” was the oldest in town, but records show that it was built in 1674, which is even later that Devon Wharf House on the quay. The yard at the rear of the Golden Lion was the departure point for Winsers Red Wong Coaches and the beam that supposed the bell to summon the passengers for their departure can still be seen there. 

Sample the ale of this old establishment, and while doing so I defy you not to be able to imagine the clatter of the horse’s hooves and coach wheels on the cobbles outside.