‘The day a lion came into our pub!’
Barry Noble recalls a rather unusual visitor to his family’s pub…
Iarrived home from work one summer’s day in 1959 to discover that a tame lion had visited our family’s pub, the Red Lion at Isham in Northamptonshire, and had even enjoyed a pint or two!
My youngest brother David, who was on school holidays, was the only one of my siblings lucky enough to witness a momentous occasion that made film stars of my mum and dad and our country pub.
Out of the blue, my dad Fred had a call to say that a 15-month-old lion called Simba from our local Wellingborough Zoo would arrive around lunchtime with his keeper, Maurice Sharpe, and a film crew.
British Pathé filmed the occasion to show in cinemas and there is a funny excerpt showing the lion and keeper going in the front door of the pub and all the regulars running out the side door! But after a while they returned when they realised the lion would not attack them and they were happy to participate in the filming.
My dad poured Simba a pint of bitter and he drank it from the tankard with his front paws on the bar! In another film, which was also to be shown in cinemas as part of the Pathé News reel, my mother Joan is seen pointing to the clock and telling the lion, “It’s closing time – time to go!”
A few of the regulars, along with Mother and my brother David, went out with him into the garden. Simba was tame and no one felt as though they were in any danger. By the time he was taken back to the zoo he must’ve been a little worse for wear after drinking my father’s premium ale!
My other brother John also missed all the fun as he was at work, but Dad told us all about it. Simba, our mum and dad and our pub became famous overnight and
I heard that Simba and his keeper even went to the cinema in Wellingborough so he could see himself on screen... but that might just be a rumour!
He was such a tame lion that the owner of the zoo took Simba on a picnic with his wife Alice and the keeper even brought him into his own
‘My dad poured Simba a pint of bitter and he drank it from the tankard with his front paws on the bar!’
home to meet the family.
My mum and dad retired from the pub in 1975, but a few years ago I discovered that The Red Lion was one of the most haunted pubs in the county. I do wonder if it’s Simba who haunted it, hoping for another pint of my dad’s beer!
■ See Simba visiting the pub for a pint at www.britishpathe.com/video/lion-lovesout-local