Old Red Lion, Islington

Previous buildings The pub in itself is one of the oldest in London, having first been built in 1415 in what was then the rural village of Islington in open countryside and fields. A house called Goose Farm and some nearby cattle pens (for herds being driven to Smithfield Market) were the only structures to adjoin it, and St John Street (then called Chester Road) was a country lane. In the late 18th century Chester Road became notorious for highwaymen, with patrols being provided to protect those travelling along it at night. At this time descriptions state that the Old Red Lion was a small brick house with three trees in its forecourt, visited by William Hogarth (who portrayed it in the middle distance of his painting "Evening", with the foreground being Sadler's Wells), Samuel Johnson and Thomas Paine (who wrote The Rights of Man in the shade of the trees in its forecourt). Reconstruction (1899) The Old Red Lion was rebuilt in 1899, designed by Eedle and Myers for Charles Dickerson and John William North, The architectural style is Free-Classical style, but includes Neo-Jacobean and Renaissance elements. The building is four storeys high, with residential accommodation in the floors above the pub. The parapet is balustraded with a name panel inscribed with lettering in Arts and Crafts style: "THE OLD RED LION 1415 REBVILT 1899". ==Description and people==

The Old Red Lion's address is 418 St John Street. The literary department reads over 1,000 scripts each year, under an open submissions policy. ==Artistic directors==

• Charlie Hanson (1979–1981) • Jane Goldman (1981–82) • Mike Gilmore (1982-74) • Richard Hansom (1984–88) • Ken McClymont (1988–2002) • Melanie Tait (2002–2004) • Helen Devine (2004–2010) • Henry Filloux-Bennett (Artistic Director 2010-2011) (Co-Artistic Director) (2011–2012) • Nicholas Thompson (Co-Artistic Director) (2011–2012) (Artistic Director 2012-2014) • Stewart Pringle (Artistic Director) (2014–2016) • Clive Judd (Artistic Director) (2016-2017) • Katy Danbury (Artistic Director & Theatre Manager) (2017–2019) • Alexander Knott (Artistic Director, Theatre Manager & Digital Producer) (2019–2021) • Helen Devine (Programmer, 2020 – May 2023) Jack Robertson, originally from Manchester, has a master's degree in playwriting, but has spent most of his career doing sketch comedy, with directing, producing, and acting as extra-curricular activities. His company, Medium Rare Productions, won "Best Comedy Play" at the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival in 2019. ==Awards==

• 2006: Dan Crawford Pub Theatre Award • 2006: Empty Space Peter Brook Award ==Notable past productions==

Nina Raine, winner of the 2006 Most Promising Playwright Award, staged her first show, Rabbit, at the Old Red Lion Theatre in March to April 2006. Who is Eddie Linden, a play based upon Sebastian Barker's biography of poet and editor Eddie Linden, was staged in 1995. ==Footnotes==