Red Lion, Kenninghall

An early 19th century pub which had been shut for seven years before being reopened in February 1997. Fortunately, the new owners realised the rarity of the snug and so it was retained and is situated to the right of the entrance. It consists of curved partition walls forming high backed settle seating. There are only a handful of similar rooms or snugs formed of two or more high backed settles left in the whole of the UK.

There are only a handful of similar rooms or snugs formed of two or more high backed settles left in the whole of the UK. They can be found at the following Heritage Pubs – the Holly Bush, Mackeney, Derbyshire; Malt Shovel, Spondon, Derbyshire; Green Dragon, Flaunden, Hertfordshire; North Star, Steventon, Oxfordshire; Kings Head, Laxfield, Suffolk; Bell & Cross, Holy Cross, Worcestershire; Old White Beare, Norwood Green, West Yorkshire; Red Lion, Llansannan, North West Wales;; Crown, Snape, Suffolk;; Wheatsheaf, Raby, Merseyside;; Galway Arms, East Retford, Nottinghamshire;; andAnchor, High Offley, Staffordshire .

The bulging walled snug, which has lost its door, is otherwise intact but was white painted and stained by nicotine so was shot blasted back by the new owners to show the wood grain. It did have a perspex window but this was replaced by the present cell-like window. Above the doorway is a curious 'letter box' which locals say was to let out smoke in the days of smoking in pubs. This tiny room has an old Norfolk Pammet floor and wood surround fireplace where the inner brickwork is claimed to be original from c1900 and it has a mantelshelf almost reaching the ceiling.

From the front door the passage has dado panelling and at the end the doorway on the right side of the the servery was the original off sales. Around the exterior of the snug is a place for passageway drinking - there is a shelf attached to the snug and also an old basic bench.

The public bar on the left is totally changed and the old bar top has been re-used as a table top in the dining room. On the right at the end of the passage, which has original Norfolk Pammet tiles, is a dining room, that was formally living quarters, and has bricks that have been turned upside down, stable-like seating areas and a large fireplace.