Take a trip into the open countryside to find Bobbington family pub steeped in history and full of character

The village of Bobbington sits in splendid isolation near to Halfpenny Green Airport on the road towards Bridgnorth, near a number of high quality golf courses and great areas for walking and boating.

Being a community on an island to itself, any pub are there is something which acts as a cultural and community hub, a place to eat, drink and meet up with people.

The Red Lion Inn is something which takes all those needs and provides a service as a must-see place to eat and drink, as well as spend the night if a cold beverage or two is had.

The pub has been in the village for more than 200 years, having started life as a coaching inn where people could put their horses in the stable block and then eat and drink and sleep at the inn.

It has been run by the Shaw family since 1986, with Jeremy Shaw managing the pub and other members of the family assisting with running the guesthouse and kitchen.

Mr Shaw said the pub had gone full circle from the coaching inn days after building accommodations for guests to stay in.

He said: "21 years ago, we knocked down what was the stable block and built 16 bedrooms and that means we're very much an Inn again and trade under the name Eat, Drink and Sleep Limited.

"Through the summer and winter months, we get lots of golfers from all over the country staying in our hotel rooms and playing the local golf courses, with Enville being one of the big draws for golfers."

Mr Shaw said he had taken on the pub in 1986 from his father, who had been the landlord at the time, and moved down from Preston to take on the running of the pub, which he said was perfect for him because of the location.

He said: "I love the idyllic countryside and it's a nice and quiet village that we live in and we really are at the centre of that village, so most of the villagers use it either socially or to eat and I like to think we're the hub of that village.

"We get this a lot from the people who come in here for the first time as they can't believe how much it feels like a local to them, just by going to the bar, having a drink with the locals and generally socialising.

"Some parties have been coming here for more than 20 years, so they're very familiar to the staff and they've said it feels like their home from home, with some people staying three days a week, every week, because they love it."

The Red Lion is a freehold, with Mr Shaw saying he bought a lot of his beer from Molson Coors, but also had good relationships with Enville Brewery, Wye Valley  Brewery and Hobson's Brewery and said it was down to what people wanted to drink.

He said: "When people are staying with us from all over the country, they like to drink local ale and want to try something they can't normally get at home, so it's nice to put on a few local things for them.

"We also have a wine list of about 35 wines, but I'm also very keen on collecting and drinking wine and I've got my own private cellar, so if someone wants something a bit special, we've got that available as well.

"We've got lots of gins, as well as cognac, which is one of my specialities as I collect it and we've got a fabulous selection on offer."

Being a place to eat, Mr Shaw said his brother Matt was in charge of the kitchen and said their work was loved by all those who came to the Red Lion.

He said: "Matt's the head chef and we also have four full time chefs who have been with us a long time and, combined, they have 200 years of experience in the kitchen.

"Everything is made from scratch and from knowledgeable chefs, so we have a classic English menu with continental twists here or there. The menu changes on a daily basis and we also lots of fresh fish on Fridays and we open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of the year, apart from New Years day."

Mr Shaw said he had been in the pub game for 48 years and it was his life and said the Red Lion Inn was everything to him and his customers.

He said: "It's the hub of the village and is the social centre and, during Covid, you could tell people were missing it and couldn't wait to get back inside it.

"That's what the pub is, it's a place to go out with friends and socialise and we've found that people are coming in after 5pm and enjoying a pint. That's what this place means to me, it's the social aspect and a way of life."