The oldest cow in the world?
Well, The Red Cow’s has been around for well over
200 years. Cattle grazed on this marshy edge of town until the end of
the 18th century. All moved on, but one prized red cow lives to this day
as she gave her name to this inn built at Marsh Gate.
When Queen Victoria came to the throne the Young family
bought the Cow, installing a fine carved wood and gilded-glass central
bar stocked with celebrated ales from their Wandsworth Brewery. The area
soon earned a dubious reputation though - the Red Cow being renown as
a haunt of ‘thieves and vagabonds’. This place of dark deeds,
with its tiny public and private rooms – the ‘snuff bar’,
‘jug and bottle’ and ‘4 ale room’ – that
typified old English pubs has long gone, but the original bar and Young’s
bitters live on to this day.
Thankfully though, the locals are a lot more friendly! |