Old hotel exterior repairs proposed );
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THE new owner of the former Red Lion Hotel in Henley wants to carry out repairs to the exterior of the historic building.
Grace Leo has applied for planning permission and listed building consent to give the west elevation of the Red Lion Stables a traditional three-coat lime render.
She says this is needed to stabilise and improve the appearance of the elevation, which has fallen into “considerable disrepair” over the years. Redundant surface wiring and plumbing would also be removed where possible.
The courtyard surface would be repaired and the outdoor dining area repaved.
Revamp of historic hotel welcomed by town councillors );
PLANS to refurbish the Red Lion Hotel in Henley have been welcomed by town councillors.
Grace Leo bought the property from MG Hotels last year and intends to rebrand it as The Relais, which is French for “coaching inn”.
The hotel, which is on the corner of Hart Street and Thames Side, is a Grade II listed building and requires special permission for the planned changes, which will include:
•Refurbishing the bedrooms and bathrooms.
• Moving the dining area to the existing Regatta Suite.
•Decorating the communal areas.
The work, which will cost about £3million, will be done with a view to the hotel re-opening in time for this year’s Henley Royal Regatta.
Gardeners restore old wisteria plant on front of hotel );
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THE restoration of the iconic wisteria plant covering the front of the Red Lion Hotel in Henley has begun.
Contractors from Heritage Grounds are trimming back overgrown branches at the front of the premises in Hart Street to prevent the climbing shrub from collapsing under its own weight.
It had been neglected for some time so was starting to come away from the wall but is now being shaped and reattached under the supervision of landscape designer James Ogilvy, from Fawley.
A team led by Lauren McNeil will install new guide wires over the next few weeks and ensure no tresses are growing over windows.
A WISTERIA covering the former Red Lion Hotel in Henley is to be restored. The climbing shrub has collapsed in places and needs to be reattached to the wall of .
When we had two Red Lions (one with shabby reputation) );
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HISTORIAN Elizabeth Hazeldine says she read with interest our report two weeks ago about the Red Lion Hotel in Henley, particularly in reference to hostelries called the Red Lion not being a peculiarity.
Indeed at one time there were two establishments in Henley named the Red Lion.
Elizabeth says: “Itinerant workers and those who did not have the benefit of a tied house, or the wherewithal necessary to rent, turned to lodging houses, the Red Lion in West Hill (now West Street) being one such place.
“Rental entries trace this hostelry back to at least 1795, a red brick building of large proportion with a frontage of some 24ft 6in and depth of nearly 99ft.