NEHL - The Red Kite changed its name within the past decade or so, presumably to capitalise on the marketing for the wider area.

This place was previously named the Golden Lion, and had been so all way back from the old Winlaton Mill village that built around Crowley’s Works.

It was one of two in the settlement, the other being the Oak Tree Inn which stood next to the mouth of the Thornley Burn. That one had been swept away during the clearances of the 30s along with the rest of the village.

This makes the Golden Lion one of the single survivors. It had certainly been here by the 1830s, though perhaps slightly earlier given the need for amenities in the growing village. At this time it was managed by a woman - Mrs Harding. I sadly haven’t been able to find if she had a husband or family, but if she did I’m sure he worked at the iron works also.

It remained the spine of the village for the next century. A quoits ground stood in the enclosure next door, though this seemed to have been cleared with the old pub at the turn of the 1890s. The old country inn was demolished to make way for the current hotel in the mid 1890s - marking one case of a wider trend of inns with commercial rooms and hotels to make a bit of extra cash. The quoits ground itself is now marked on Ordnance Survey maps, which conforms to most. It's quite clear however that the beds were probably to the behind the house where there was most room.

Even after the rebuild, it was still famous for its agricultural shows and gooseberry shows, held every year on the main lane. Sadly though, such fairs appear to have dwindled when the wider village was demolished. In recent times, the pub has stood as a solitary reminder of the previous village, though not one of its original stone builds.

Sadly, I’ve not found any decent quality historic shots of the old pub.