The Red Lion, York

The Red Lion is a pub in the city centre of York, in England.

The pub, seen from Merchantgate

The building originated as a house, in a yard off Walmgate. The original part of the building is to the north-east, built in the 15th century as a house with a first floor hall and other rooms below. It appears to have been truncated at the north-west end, and is now one-and-a-half bays long. The south-eastern end of the building was rebuilt around 1600, and an attic was also inserted. In the 17th century, a lower wing was added to the south-west, in two stages, with a ground floor of brick. There were further extensions in the 18th century, and a new front was added in the 19th century.[1][2]

The pub, seen from Walmgate

The building is timber framed, but has been largely reconstructed over the years. The windows are 20th-century.[1] On the first floor, there is an access between two bedrooms, linked to the chimney, which has been described as a priest hole. In the front bar is a bread oven, which the pub claims dates from the 13th century, and on these grounds, it claims to be the city's oldest pub. However, the building only became a pub in the 19th century.[3]

In 1912, the street of Merchantgate was constructed immediately north of the pub, and it is now accessed from that road. In 1954, the pub was Grade II listed.[3]

A legend claims that Dick Turpin once escaped through a window of the pub.[3]