Our pub has seen it all.

Welcome to The Lion Hotel: a North Adelaide icon.

In 1870, we started life as The Lion Brewery and Malthouse. The business’s original owners were William Bailey, a prominent South Australian publican, and Frederick Stanley, a wine and spirit merchant. Together, they commissioned architect Daniel Garlick to design a brewery, malthouse, kiln and store – all of which are still standing today.

Three years later, the business was sold to William Beaglehole, a hotelier, and James Johnston, owner of the Oakbank Brewery. In 1880, they engaged architect James Cumming to construct a hotel on the corner of Jerningham Street and Melbourne Street: what is now our beloved Lion.

Ultimately, brewing ceased in the 1920s, though the company continued to manufacture soft drinks in the 1970s. In the 1980s, the brewery was converted into apartments.

In 1972, the hotel premises were purchased, and the Old Lion was turned into a vibrant hub of live music. Over the next twenty years, we became a revolving door for some of the biggest names in rock and roll.

In the 90s, it was back to The Lion with new owners Tim Gregg and Andrew Svencis. After a Covid-prompted closure in 2020, it has changed hands once more and is now owned by us – Duxton Pubs.

Over the past 150 years, The Lion has seen its fair share of excitement.

In 1903, a ladder left behind by some contractors was used to access the upper bedrooms of the hotel. The thief pilfered some valuable jewels, made off with the booty and stashed it in some reeds by the Torrens.

In 1933, the hotel’s barman at the time, George Nelson Carter, was found locked in the cellar illegally recording bets, though he claimed he had been down there bottling wine.

In 1974, after an argument with his bandmate, AC/DC frontman Bon Scott stormed out of rehearsal, smashed a bottle of Jack Daniels on the ground and roared off on his motorbike, getting into a collision with a car that left him in a coma for three days. Thankfully, he recovered, though we can’t say the same for that bottle of whiskey. 

Midnight Oil’s performance was captured on their CD, Live at the Old Lion, Adelaide, 1982. Several of the tracks for Diesel’s 1993 album, The Lobbyist, were also recorded within our walls.

INXS also played here more than once. If you were there in 1993, you might remember a sweaty, heaving host of thousands, or Michael Hutchence lobbing an apple over the crowd to splatter all over the back bar – which has since been cleaned up.

Though things aren’t quite so wild these days, they’re just as lively.
One thing is for sure: all the best stories start at The Lion.