London pub giant Urban Pubs & Bars has bought the Leytonstone pub after its previous owner Antic fell into adminstration, reports Marco Marcelline

The Red Lion pub on Leytonstone High Road, Credit: The Red Lion

The iconic Red Lion pub in Leytonstone has been snapped up by new owners, Urban Pubs & Bars (UPB), after its previous owner fell into administration.

Open since 1870, the Red Lion is probably the most known pub in Leytonstone. It is home to the iconic Ballroom, which was once host to legendary music acts like The Who, and today continues to platform exciting live talent. Aside from doubling up as a hotel, the pub also has a large beer garden featuring walls splashed in colourful graffiti.

UPB, London’s fastest growing pub business, now owns a total of 52 sites across the capital. The pub and restaurant operator also snapped up the nearby Clapton Hart as part of a deal that saw it take on a total of eleven pubs from Antic Hospital Group.

The Antic, which also runs a number of well-known pubs across London including the Tooting Tram and the iconic Dogstar in Brixton, announced it was going into administration on 18th July,

The pub also boasts a large beer garden featuring walls splashed in colourful graffiti, Credit: Red Lion

The Antic instantly put 13 of its pubs on the market, including the Red Lion. In 2013, a subsidiary group called Antic Limited also went into administration due to tax-related issues, prompting it to put all of its pubs on the market too. They were all snapped up within one month, the Metro reports.

Announcing the news, UPB Managing Director, Chris Hill, said: “We are delighted to be acquiring these fantastic pubs – and we can’t wait to bring them into the Urban family. Like so many existing corners of UPB, these newly acquired sites are iconic in so many individual ways – and we can’t wait to work with our new colleagues to realise the full potential of them, and their brilliant businesses.”

A spokesperson for UPB told the Echo: “[We] know there is a lot of love for The Red Lion; it’s a fantastic pub in the heart of Leytonstone.”

Adding that the pub has “no immediate plans” to change the site, events schedule, or menu, the spokesperson said: “[UPB] will continue to make sure this pub remains a well-loved part of the local community.”

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