The Felix And Firkin Public House

The Felix and Firkin public house, formerly the Red Lion Hotel, was built in 1930 by W.F. Foster for the Meux Brewery. It is constructed of brown brick with extensive stone dressings, and has a tiled roof. The building is square in plan, with a rear extension. It is three storeys high.

The front elevation has seven bays, with the end bays slightly projecting. A central Corinthian doorcase is flanked by bow windows, with rusticated brickwork to the ground floor. The first floor is distinguished by a pedimented window within a stone surround, and all windows are 9/9-pane sashes with brick arches and shutters. A modillion cornice runs along the top of the facade. Hopper-heads are dated 1930. A blind arch in yellow brick at first floor level of the left-hand bay features a large console supporting a wrought iron bracket with a carved figure of a red lion. A canted corner to the south-east includes a scallop-headed doorcase. The return elevation has a Corinthian doorcase to the left-hand bay, next to a projecting square tower with square windows, capped by a pyramidal roof with a finial.

The rear elevation is arranged around a courtyard, with arched ground floor openings – the one to the tower is blind and features rusticated voussoirs in yellow brick. First-floor windows are 9/9-pane, while those on the second floor are 3/6-pane. A lower projecting continuation extends to the west.

The ground floor interior has been significantly altered. A fretwork staircase to the first floor remains, lit at the first floor landing level by a circular skylight with a sunburst effect in blue and yellow glass. A large room in the rear extension retains its decorative plasterwork.

The site has a long history, dating back to the 15th century as a coaching inn, positioned on a major road into London. It was truncated in 1901 by the construction of Fitzjohn Avenue. The 1930 rebuilding incorporated elements from the earlier building, including the carved lion and wrought iron bracket. The new premises included a banqueting room, two dance halls and a Masonic lodge, alongside hotel rooms. Despite alterations, it remains an example of an inter-war road-house in the Neo-Georgian style. Further alterations occurred in 1985, and the ground floor was altered again in 2002.