Red Lion Inn

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18th c. map
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Venue Type & Location

Inn

Site Name: Red Lion Inn
Location: Norwich
County: Norwich (city-county) in Norfolk
Location Type: Town - in town at determined location

Overview

A 19th c. archway on the E side of Red Lion Street leading into a modern courtyard may mark the site of the 16th c. Red Lion Inn.

Little is known of the inn's architecture although the existence of its courtyard is on record.

Performance History

The yard of the Red Lion Inn was the venue for a performance by the newly formed Queen's Men in June 1583, with a well-documented affray ensuing from a spectator's refusal to pay at the entrance.

Current Status

Demolished. Some indication of the location survives as a street name.

History of the Venue

16th c. Known as the Red Lion Inn.

1676--92 Red Lion used for play performances by various companies (Rosenfeld, 'Players in Norwich, 1669--1709,' 132--4).

19th c. Cricketers' Arms Inn stood on or near the site with 'a spacious yard at the side' (Wicks, Inns and Taverns 51).

ca. 1899 Norfolk and Norwich Savings Bank built on part of the site. Later became a Barclays Bank.

Record Source

REED Norwich 70--6

Bibliographic Sources

View a list of abbreviations.

  • Farrow, M. A. Index of wills proved in the consistory court of Norwich and now preserved in the district probate registry at Norwich 1550–1603. Norfolk Record Society Publications 21. Norwich: Norfolk Record Society, 1950.
  • Farrow, M. A. and T. F. Barton. Index of wills proved in the consistory court of Norwich and now preserved in the district probate registry at Norwich 1604–1686. Norfolk Record Society Publications 18. Norwich: Norfolk Record Society, 1958.
  • The History of the City and County of Norwich from the Earliest Accounts to the Present Time. 2 vols. Norwich: John Crouse, 1768.
  • James, Montague Rhodes, and G.E. Chambers. Suffolk and Norfolk: a perambulation of the two counties. 1830
  • Kirkpatrick, John. The Streets and Lanes of the City of Norwich. Norwich: Agas H. Goose for Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society, 1889.
  • Roberts-Smith, Jennifer. 'The Red Lion and the White Horse: Inns used by Patronized Performers in Norwich, 1583–1624' Early Theatre 10.1 (2007): 109–44.
  • Rodgers, Mary and May Wallace. Norwich Landgable Assessment 1568-70. Norfolk Record Society Publications 63. Norwich: Norfolk Record Society, 1999.
  • Rosenfeld, Sybil. 'The players in Norwich, 1669–1709.' Review of English Studies 12 (1936): 129–38.
  • Rowan, D.F. 'The Players and Playing Places of Norwich.' . The Development of Shakespeare's Theater. Astington, John H., ed. New York: AMS P, 1992.
  • Wicks, Walter. Inns and Taverns of Old Norwich. Norwich: Page Brothers Limited, 1925.
  • Young, John Riddington. The Inns and Taverns of Old Norwich. Norwich: Wensum Books, 1975.