Local spotlight: The Golden Lion

In the first of a new series, Drew Heatley looks at iconic venues that help shape the Fulham FC experience.

Ask any dyed-in-the-wool, match-going Fulham fan what the most iconic pre- and post-match pub is and they’ll say the Golden Lion.

It’s an appropriate marriage. Fulham, the oldest club in London, and this classic boozer, the oldest in Fulham. The original building has been there as early as 1455 and counts William Shakespeare as notable patrons, according to Wikipedia. For its first few hundred years it was known as the Fulham Coffee House, and it was rebuilt in the mid-1800s giving us all the building we all recognise today. Though I doubt much coffee’s consumed there now.

Fast forward 400 years from Bill Shakespeare and you’d find another legendary British lyricist at the Lion; Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin used the pub as a place to unwind during breaks from recording.

Despite all that history and showbiz, it’s with Fulham FC that the pub is intrinsically linked with. Pour out from Putney Bridge station and you only have to walk a few yards to reach the Lion’s front door. But if you want a seat you’ll need to pitch up early.

It’s snug inside, with a large horseshoe-shaped bar as you enter, with sporadic seating around. Head to the back of the pub and you’ll find the jewel in the Lion’s crown: a large, recently refurbished beer garden.

Before having kids, I used to pitch up to the Lion at midday ahead of every 3pm kick-off, buying a four-pint pitcher of beer for just over a tenner, and sit in the garden, in sun or snow, getting thoroughly lubricated ahead of what was either a surge up the table under Roy, a Premier League relegation scrap under God-knows-who, or even a campaign in the Championship doldrums. Regardless of what happened on the pitch, it was the regulars you’d meet before or after the game that made it all worthwhile.

The 2025/26 season will mark the start of General Manager Peter Eagan’s 10th season at the helm of the Golden Lion. He tells me that the club and pub have a special relationship.

“Fulham is an important part of the Golden Lion,” he says. “It has been a recognised Fulham supporters pub for some time, and I was happy to carry on that tradition. Fulham games have always been some of the most enjoyable days to work.”

But the best day? That’s an easy one. “The stand out would be the play-off win against Aston Villa. Seeing all the buses pull up outside the Lion packed full of Fulham fans all celebrating was a truly special day. And it made for a cracking atmosphere inside!”

If you’ve never been, or indeed are visiting Craven Cottage for the first time, Eagan’s keen to welcome you.

“The Lion is a truly great pub with a special connection to Fulham Football Club. We have an amazing product range and one of the best outside areas in Fulham. On match days there’s an atmosphere in here that only a local pub can generate, with die-hard lifers meeting casual fans and tourists. It’s a special atmosphere.”

Special and steeped in history. Sounds just right for the Whites.