Red Lion

The Red Lion is situated near Martlesham in the ancient riverside market town of Woodbridge, not far from the Suffolk coast. A former coaching inn on the old London to Yarmouth turnpike road, this handsome Grade II listed country pub with a timber framed plastered exterior and colour washed brick has retained many of its 16th century features, including exposed wooden beams and open fireplaces. The most famous and striking feature, though, is the Red Lion figurehead which graces the exterior, captured in 1672 from a Dutch ship at the Battle of Sole Bay, just off the Suffolk coastline.

Set in lovely countryside surrounded by attractive woodland walks and close to the secluded Martlesham Creek, popular with boating enthusiasts, The historic Red Lion is the perfect spot to relax and meet friends. Nearby Woodbridge is an attractive ancient market town on the banks of the River Deben, an important settlement and trading port inhabited since the Neolithic Age. Sutton Hoo, just 5 miles from The Red Lion, was excavated in 1939, the Sutton Hoo burial mounds revealed the burial ship of an Anglo-Saxon king with some of the richest treasures ever found on British soil.

Today the Red Lion continues to offer a warm welcome to guests and a delicious pub menu with seasonal dishes and sumptuous Sunday roasts. Located in the leafy village of Martlesham, Woodbridge, just eight miles from Ipswich, the Grade II listed Red Lion pub dates back to the late 1500s, an iconic landmark on the old London to Yarmouth turnpike road. A former coaching inn, when it was an overnight stopover for the Royal Mail, the post would be locked away in the pub’s safe until the next day. While parts of The Red Lion date from the 16th century, the pub has an early 19th century wing to the right, and a thriving Victorian brewery was once located at the site.