Historic Harborough pub to reopen this week

The Red Lion pub in Great Bowden is re-opening on Wednesday (April 10), as part of a drive by the owners to boost business and tourism in and around Market Harborough.

The venue, which has been a village pub for centuries, has had a major refurbishment and promises visitors ‘a taste of Leicestershire hospitality at its best’ when the doors re-open at 5pm on April 10.

It’s owned by The Three Goats, a small hospitality group run by a couple of local entrepreneurs on a mission to “breathe new life into old Welland Valley venues”.

Three Goats operations director Will Darby said: “While we want to share this beautiful part of the world with people from far and wide, we very much want our pubs to remain hubs of village life and the centre of the community for those who live nearby.”

He also said that the interior has been made "more relaxed and vibrant, providing a seamless transition between it and the outside space which comprises a Mediterranean Garden and Quadrant Courtyard". Originally created during the Covid pandemic to create a safe open-air bar and kitchen, the outside with its terracotta pots, ancient olive tree and flower beds has a "summery, holiday feel", according to the owners.

“You could almost be in Ibiza!” said Mr Darby. “It has a cool, chilled vibe, making it the perfect place for a cocktail, glass of wine or cold beer in the sun with a plate of food. The Quadrant, meanwhile, gives visitors the chance to enjoy the a la carte menu from their individual covered and heated booth, which also has its own flat-screen TV for sports fans.”

The owners say they jumped at the chance to acquire the pub, and it now sits alongside the two other pubs and one restaurant in the group – The Nevill Arms at Medbourne, The Sun Inn at Great Easton and No. 23 in Uppingham.

“Great Bowden is a charming village in a Conservation Area and the whole Welland Valley is full of history,” said Mr Darby. “The Red Lion is a little piece of that history.”