After a terrific Olympics and a magnificent effort by the entire Red Lion team their reward was our inclusion in the ‘Good Pub Guide 2013’. This is great recognition of one of Weymouth’s favourite pubs and we are truly honoured. We would like to thank all our loyal customers. We also got an acknowledgement for our excellent ales…take note good beer guide!!! So dig out a copy and read all about us. There will be a copy in the pub soon.
ANDREW SIMPSON, IAIN PERCY AND PAUL GOODISON RELAXING AT THE RED LION
After an historic two weeks for Weymouth and Portland and here at the Red Lion too we have so many memories of The 2012 Olympic sailing!! Including seeing four times Olympic Champ Ben Ainslie enjoying himself after becoming the best Olympic sailor of all time and he did it here in Weymouth yippee!!
Andrew Simpson and Iain Percy, silver medallists in the Star men’s class, were joined at the Red Lion by Paul Goodison MBE who missed out on defending his Beijing Gold in the Laser class finishing seventh in Weymouth while suffering with a bad back. Paul has lived in Weymouth for six years.
While the boys enjoyed a much earned beer here at the Red Lion, a young lady sat quietly eating a Red Lion burger building her strength up for the windsurfing RS:X women’s class climax the next day. Spaniard Marina Alabeu had a strong lead but still had to bring it home to win gold but after a Red Lion Burger a gold medal was easy pickings and she triumphed easily.
Nick Dempsey picked up silver in the windsurfing and can be seen waving from the bus as it passed the Red Lion!!
Anna Kjellberg the Swedish Olympic sailor who popped in for refreshments after a hard week at the ‘office’
Supporters of Swedish sailors sing national anthem in Hope Square in Weymouth
THE Swedish national anthem echoed around the Red Lion at Hope Square in Weymouth thanks to family members of their sailing team. Supporters of Swedish sailors Anna Kjellberg, Astrid Gabrielson and Sebastian Ostling congregated at the Red Lion pub to make the most of the Olympic atmosphere.
The patriotic group were joined by the sailors themselves who said they intended to make the most of the sunny weather in Weymouth. Jonas and Gerd Kjellberg said they were ‘really proud’ of their daughter Anna.
Mr Kjellberg added: “Anna has been sailing since she was really young and we are just so proud of her. “She is a little disappointed but we love it here in Weymouth. What a fantastic place.”
Sailor Astrid Gabrielson, who raced in the 470 class, said: “I am feeling disappointed following my race but am so happy we have so much support from home here.
“I love it here in Weymouth especially as it is really good weather.”
Spirits were high as the supportive crowd, dressed in Swedish colours and flags, serenaded passers-by with their national anthem.
Olympic achievement by the Red Lion team!!!!
If there were gold medals for hard work serving hundreds…no…thousands of visitors at the sailing Olympics 2012, then look no further than our Red Lion team. As you will see from the picture, the barrels outside ready for collection say it all!!
The team, led by Brian and Kendra, have worked so hard in pretty hot conditions to ensure all the visitors to Weymouth got a great pint of cask ale with some tasty home cooked food from our kitchen team, headed by Steve. The atmosphere in Hope Square was electric and we are so proud the Sailing Olympics were held here. Everyone has given their all, so a big thank you to our team and to everyone who paid us a visit!!!
With just over a week to go until the Paralympics begin all is ready to give teams and supporters a warm welcome again……….Forgive the team if they look a little sleepy!!!
team member Sophie re-fuels with our famous steak and Ale Pie!!!
Photos coming in thick and fast!!!
As teams, fans and visitors arrive home after their trip to Weymouth for the sailing Olympics we are now receiving photographs!!! Here below is a lovely picture of the fabulous volunteer team who looked after everyone so well. They are described as the true heroes of the games and rightly so. Well done and congratulations to you all!!
Next up is the Finnish contingent putting up their flags in the pub as they celebrate great performances and a great shot of the Olympians whizzing past on their open top bus with medals glowing in the late afternoon sunshine!!
The famous sailing Olympic volunteers
The Finns celebrate in the Red Lion flags and all!!!
As the teams pass on the coach the medals were there to see.
A great view was enjoyed from the Nothe
A packed patio was the way it seemed for two solid weeks of Olympic history in the making
Another bad hair day at the Red Lion!!!
Another relaxing evening after a hard day on the waves
Argentinian team consider their next move at the Red Lion
Brazil seemed to have local support!!!
Former Cricketer Mike Gatting was down to enjoy the sailing
Sailing supporters on the Nothe
Swedes on the menu!!
Swedish supporters enjoy the Weymouth sunshine outside the Red Lion
The Argentinians celebrate their arrival!!
The Dutch head off to the Nothe
The Finns arrive too.
The flags say it all!!
The lifeboat in all it’s glory!!
The Olympic Bronze medalists with our future Olympians!!
The rather attractive Finnish ladies show off their Bronze medals
The Red Lion and Hope Square stood up to give the medalists a standing ovation.
Wow it was busy!!!
The Olympic Torch arrives in Hope Square
..and there it is….
passing the Red Lion
A truly historic shot…Olympics 2012 here on Brewers Quay
Ben Ainslie et al
great to see Ben and the team back at the Red Lion
is that her majesty
never has Hope Square been that packed!!
or the Red Lion for that matter
the Olympic heroes celebrate in style
Those medals are pretty impressive!!
Well done!!
A GREAT DAY OF SAILING
A WELL DESERVED SLURP TOO FOR THE AUSSIE GIRLS NINA CURTIS, LUCINDA WHITTY AND OLIVIA PRICE
A GREAT SHOT OF REGULAR CLAIRE TOUCHING THAT OLYMPIC MEDAL!!
GREAT SCENES IN THE HARBOUR TOO
FLAGS GALLORE TO CELEBRATE 2012
BACK AT THE RED LION WITH THE MEDAL WITH OLYMPIAN NINA CURTIS!!
LOCAL ARTIST MAKES AN OLYMPIC IMPRESSION TOO
KISSING A SILVER MEDAL
PHEW HE MADE IT!!
PRIME SEATS FOR WATCHING THE OLYMPICS
THE AUSSIE GIRLS SPRAY CHAMPERS AT THE CROWD
VIEW OF THE SAILING BAY
WALKING THE TIGHTROPE AT THE OLYMPICS!!
WAVING THEM HOME
WOW HERE THEY COME!!
Team RL are presented with their gold medals!!!
As a reward for their record breaking feats the Red Lion team were in celebratory mood as they were presented with their ‘Gold medals’ to recognise their Olympic Achievements during the 2012 Sailing Olympics.
New records were set during the two weeks for the Red Lion and the team really worked their socks off for the 2012 Olympics and then the Paralympics 2012 also.
They were sent off to Euro-Disney and Paris for two days while owners Tim and Mary held the fort with stoic Chef James and ‘having a baby soon’ Amy!! The team looked a little tired on their return but a good time was had by all.
Big thanks to all the team for working so hard during this record breaking period…you are heroes!!!!
JACK ACTUALLY SELLS SOME ICE CREAMS AS THE SUN SHINES AT LAST
As happens here in the UK the rain always comes at the wrong time!!!
Near typhoon conditions hit Weymouth on the Friday and particularly the Saturday and resulted in the Seafood festival being cancelled on the Saturday altogether!!!Gazebos were blowing in to the harbour and it was impossible to set the stalls up.
A great shame but the fighting spirit meant that everyone came back to have another go on the Sunday…and guess what? We were rewarded with beautiful weather. It was a busy day even with a Scotsman playing in the Wimbledon final!!! The sun shone and the prawn and crayfish cocktails and the mussels were enjoyed from our outside stall.
Thanks to the team who worked really hard on the Saturday to drive a bit of business in horrendous conditions and for putting on a great show on Sunday.
The festival is a great event and we hope next year it is at least dry for the whole weekend…next up the Olympics!!!
FRESH PRAWN AND CRAYFISH COCKTAILS WENT DOWN WELL
BIG SMILE FROM OUR CHEF JAMES
CHEF JAMES COOKS OFF THE MUSSELLS AND THE CHILLI PRAWNS
Can the Olympics factor transform Weymouth?
It worked for Barcelona, so can it work for the quiet Dorset town? With new attractions and a thriving food scene change is well under way.
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by Donald Strachan
- guardian.co.uk,
“It was 12.46pm on Wednesday 6 July, 2005. That was the moment we got the announcement, when Weymouth changed forever.”
Jacqui Gisborne, of the Weymouth and Portland 2012 operations team, is telling me about the moment the Olympic Games were awarded to London. From 29 July, Weymouth and Portland will host the sailing regattas, and Gisborne sees a chance to present this pretty Dorset town in a whole new light.
That new light shines brightest around the harbour. The narrow lanes of the old town, south of the Wey estuary, are a jumble of Victorian, Georgian, and occasional Tudor architecture, with the odd craft gallery, a couple of sleek B&Bs, and plenty of pubs. Multicoloured harbourside buildings lead down to a quaint port. The whole effect is a bit Breton. Crab, scallops, and lobster are landed here by a fleet of about 40 boats.
Food is at the heart of Weymouth’s rediscovered buzz. The Dorset Seafood Festival (dorsetseafood.co.uk) takes over the town on 7–8 July. The Stable on Custom House Quay (01305 789389, thestabledorset.co.uk), opened earlier this year serving “Dorset pizzas” loaded with local produce, plus 57 varieties of scrumpy and perry on usually packed communal benches. On 1 July, it will add an all-day pop-up seafood bar, Salt, inside Brewers Quay, a 1904 warehouse. The Harbour Bridge (19 Trinity Road, 01305 772023, harbourbridge.co.uk) restaurant opened this month and offers a daily fish menu right off the boat.
It’s a warm day and I’m glad of a pint of local Jurassic ale at the Red Lion on Hope Square (theredlionweymouth.co.uk), opposite Brewers Quay. Plans to redevelop this area after the Games include the opening of a boutique hotel. Weymouth could use more upper-end accommodation, so that feels like a timely gamble on a town that has been chronically undersold. One hotelier suggests a long-standing local “lack of ambition”.
The district north of the Wey, across Town Bridge, feels like a different town. And it once was. This used to be Melcombe Regis, until it amalgamated with Weymouth, to the south, in 1571. The resort was popularised by King George III, famous for its sheltered bay, handsome Esplanade and crescent of golden sand. These are in better shape than ever, though the rest has faded from its Victorian prime. There’s a bit of seaside cheese and the odd misguided development, but away from a couple of identikit pedestrian precincts, the low-rise grid of terraced backstreets retains plenty of charm. And there’s that beach. Shelving gently, it is perfect for families.
A statue of George III on the prom has been freshly scrubbed. A clock commemorating Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee, in 1887, likewise. In fact, Gisborne estimates that “around £250m of public and private money” has been invested locally since 2005. The most prominent investment rises above the Pavilion: Merlin Entertainments, owner of Legoland and the London Eye, spent £3.5m building the Weymouth Sea Life Tower, a giant glass donut impaled on a 53m knitting needle. It opens on 22 June (tickets from £6.48 at weymouth-tower.com) with 15-minute rides in a revolving viewing platform offering views along the Jurassic coast, which stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in east Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in east Dorset.
A 20-minute bike ride round the headland and Nothe Fort (now a museum, nothefort.org.uk), ends at the Crab House Café (Portland Road, 01305 788867, crabhousecafe.co.uk). Sustainable local catch rotates twice daily on the shack’s chalkboard menu – flounder in a sticky ginger sauce was spot-on when I last visited. Competition will arrive on 14 July, when Mat Follas, MasterChef winner and owner of the Wild Garlic in Beaminster, opens his family-friendly Chesil Beach Cafe (chesilbeachcafe.co.uk) right across the lagoon.
The isle of Portland dangles from here by a sliver of causeway offering ideal walking terrain. But it has plans to become the south coast’s premier learn-to-sail venue. From 2 September SailLaser (sail-laser.com/weymouth) will offer courses based at Osprey Quay, Portland’s £70m Olympic marina. The isle is still viewed with suspicion by some Weymouth folk. That could be down to the two phantom dogs that reputedly roam the land at night, or perhaps to Portlanders’ odd aversion to bunnies – it’s considered bad luck to speak the word “r-bbit” on Portland.
Above the new marina, Tout Quarry is now a sculpture park. Portland’s famous limestone built St Paul’s Cathedral, and here in the quarry, old boulders have been worked over three decades into 70 sculptures, some by top names such as Antony Gormley. It’s all wildflowers and scruffy charm. I hear chisel on stone: it’s the Portland Sculpture & Quarry Trust (learningstone.org), which runs outdoor sculpting courses every summer. Its new exhibition space at nearby Drill Hall Gallery is hosting an arts festival, Stone Island 2012, part of the Cultural Olympiad by the Sea (maritimemix2012.co.uk, until 9 September).
I climb to the coast path above Chesil Cove. To my left, an 18-mile bank of stones fronts a stretch of water nicknamed Dead Man’s Bay. An intermittent roar, as the treacherous current clatters a million pebbles onto Chesil Beach, is all I can hear. To my right lies the port that will be the centre of the sailing world for a few weeks this summer. If all goes to plan, Weymouth will be in the spotlight for more than just a couple of weeks.
“Barcelona after 1992 is the model,” says Gisborne.
Nobody can accuse Weymouth of lacking ambition any more.
Since the Red Lion re-opened on Valentine’s Day 2012 it has been receiving a great deal of admiration for the caring restoration of our famous pub.
We are now in our 161st year and very proud of the pubs great heritage as an old Ale House and brewery tap for the old Devenish Brewery and being the nearest pub to the Weymouth Life Boat.
This heritage has been restored to the pub quite rightly and we are so thankful for all the positive comments to date.
If you haven’t visited the Red Lion since the restoration work then click here to visit our gallery of pictures, have a good look and then pop in and enjoy the atmosphere.
See you soon!!
As a thank you to all the team for giving it their best shot this summer here at the Red Lion we took everyone off to the Crab Shack on the way to Portland!!!
We toasted the team who attended for all their support and hard work over the busy summer!!
A great time was had by all as local seafood was served up with a wine or three!! A big thanks to the Crab Shack Team for great service and excellent seafood. Ollie will be remembered for having the courage to order the Lobster!!!
Here’s to the Christmas Party!!! We may have recovered by then!! Click on an image to view the gallery.
We are proud to announce the Red Lion has had national coverage in the ‘Publicans Morning Advertiser’ for our legendary rum collection. The article below was used as a ‘case study’ for the industry. We are delighted to be recognized in this way and will continue to offer the best rum collection on the south coast!!!
The Good Pub guide have included us in their 2012 edition in the ‘Lucky dip’ section for the first time!!!
We are very proud of our team who have achieved this success, however the most important thing for the Red Lion is to deliver great service consistently year after year and that is our goal. Thank you to our customers for putting us in the book so to speak!!
We will always endeavour to deliver a great experience for everyone visiting the Red Lion in Weymouth!!!
What they said …………..
This small bare-boarded 19th Century pub is one of Weymouth’s finest public houses. Recently undergone a refurbishment, with friendly capable staff it offers wholesome pub food, utilising only the best local produce, a solid wine selection, an excellent choice of five well-kept ales including Butcombe Bitter, Jurassic by the Dorset Brewing Company and Hop Back’s Summer Lightning, your pick of rums and fine whisky, a log fire and famously the wonderful front patio area with seating for up to 150 people. Friday and Saturday nights feature live music, so go along and sample the warm, friendly atmosphere of the Red Lion.
You read it here (second) folks, The Telegraph has reported that it will be ‘hotter than Hawaii’ this week! Click here to read the article.
Just after I took in the ‘Summer Drinks board’ and started to plan our winter drinks, low and behold look what happens!!?? I am about to slip into a grass skirt and a coconut bikini for the remainder of the week!!! Girls run for the high ground!!!
Make the most of our Indian summer and join us at the Red Lion this week and bask in the warmth of the rarely-seen English sunshine.
We will make sure there is plenty of ice-cold tonic for your G&T, fruity jugs of Pimms & Rose chilled to perfection.
Hope to see you here soon!