A community pub in an Oxfordshire village has reopened following the arrival of new tenants.

The Red Lion in Northmoor, west Oxfordshire, closed at the end of March when long-serving tenants Lisa and Ian Neale moved on.

Now it has reopened, following the arrival of Deb and Toby Merridan, who have been running the Six Bells in Kidlington.

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The 17th century pub was bought from brewery giant Greene King by the local community in 2014, after villagers raised tens of thousands of pounds to secure its future.

Northmoor Lion, the community group running the pub, took the opportunity to carry out extensive renovations before the new tenants arrived for the opening on November 1.

Real ales available on the opening night were Abingdon Bridge and Gunners Gold from Loose Cannon in Abingdon, White Knight from Goff’s of Cheltenham and Tribute from St Austell in Cornwall.

(Image: Pete Flynn) Graham Shelton, chairman of the community group, said: “What a joy to see customers standing shoulder to shoulder again in the bar of The Red Lion Northmoor.

"After a long wait thirsts were keen, and this lovely little community-owned pub out in the wilds of west Oxfordshire did not disappoint.

"New landlords Toby and Deb Merridan were kept hard at it pulling pints in this long-standing shrine to good beer.”

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Mr Merridan, who family continues to run the Six Bells in Kidlington, said: “We are keen always to have a good selection of local cask ales on tap, as well as the occasional guest from further afield.

"We’ve done a complete revamp of the cellar to bring the pipework and temperature control up-to-date, so this informal opening has been a great way to iron out any issues.

“We want to make sure, too, that the Red Lion is a proper pub with good pub grub readily available, and will be launching our food offering as soon as we’ve sorted out a few practical things in the kitchen.”

Mr Merridan and his partner have plans for quiz nights, bar games, bingo and possibly piano party nights.

Mr Shelton added: "Do come along and enjoy the fun. The shepherd’s huts in the garden are clean, warm and welcoming, so there’s no need to rush home, especially now that Toby will be supplying a cooked breakfast to start the day.”

(Image: The Red Lion) Mr and Mrs Neale ran the pub successfully for 10 years but decided to move on earlier this year due to increases in utility bills.

They said at the time in a public statement: "It is very unusual for pub tenants to stay for 10 years, and we have had an amazing time at The Red Lion, a beautiful pub in a truly special community.

"It hasn’t been easy for anyone in the hospitality business, with the devastating effect of the pandemic and the hefty increases in the costs of utilities and supplies in recent months. So for us it’s time to move on."

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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