The Red Lion has an L-shaped plan and is built in coursed limestone rubble, now colourwashed, with pantile roofs. It occupies a prominent place at the village crossroads and has been in use as a public house since at least 1677. In 1677 the landlord was charged at the Sleaford Quarter Sessions for permitting ‘several persons to remain in his house over the Lord’s Day, drinking and tippling, and otherwise behaving badly’. The east wing was built around the turn of the 19th century probably because of increased passing trade, due to improved roads in the late 18th century. This wing more than doubled the size of the building and it was an important stage on the coaching route from Louth to Newark. Travellers stopping on the way to Newark would go in the west room, which came to be known as the Newark Room, and those journeying to Lincoln would be in the east, or Lincoln Room. The rear north wing was probably added in the early 19th century; it was certainly built by 1839 as it is shown on the Tithe Map of that date. The 1888 Ordnance Survey map labels the Red Lion as an inn, and the long range of outbuildings to the rear was likely to have been extensive stabling provided for the coaches that passed through the village. The Red Lion remained the focal point in the community in the early 20th century when it had a large club room which held up to a hundred people and accommodated parish meetings, property sales and club dinners. It had a bar parlour entered by a side door, and a separate tap-room in which customers were served through a hatch. The building was a modest 17th century village hostelry that developed into a larger establishment catering for travellers. The south range may have originally been a two-bay house with a cross passage running north to south. The west bay of the south range was probably added later as evidenced by the position of the chimney stacks and by the bridging beam which only runs through the middle and east rooms. The 17th century south range has lost its original door and window openings, staircase, fireplaces and interior fittings. There is a section of a collar beam and rafter in the attic storey that may indicate that the 17th century roof has survived, at least in part. The early 19th century extension shows how the building has been adapted to meet succeeding needs, and has a standard design for the period. The Red Lion is of local interest but (in 2012) had been too altered to meet the criteria for listing in a national context. {1}