IT’S the Southampton pub which, a year ago, was transformed in a £1.6 million revamp.

Since then, the Red Lion, in Bitterne, has proved a roaring success.

Under the banner of pub mega chain Wetherspoons, the bar is busy and bustling, yet family-friendly.

And with its balcony and spacious outside area, The Red Lion is becoming a popular lunchtime hangout in Bitterne.

Pub manager, Natalie Owens, said: “Everyone seems to like the new layout and we’ve had lots of positive feedback.

“For me, the best bit is the outside facilities.

“We’ve got a balcony garden which is pretty, particularly in summer.”

The 34-year-old added: “It’s all still nice and new, even though we’ve now been open a while, but now we’ve established a regular trade.”

The pub was reopened in March 2017 following a £1.6 million revamp, funded by new owners Wetherspoons.

As well as introducing a balcony seating area and outside dinning space, Wetherspoons also moved the bar from the centre of the pub to the back.

According to Natalie, who has run the pub since it reopened, moving the bar has proved a positive move.

She said: “It’s opened up more space for people to sit down.

“If customers want to eat they have somewhere to sit down, but people who drink often want to stand or be on stools and we have a nice area for that as well.”

Natalie says the Red Lion’s best selling dish is its pizzas – and she proudly boasts the Red Lion is the only Wetherspoons in Southampton where you can get your hands on them.

Meanwhile, the pub’s array of flavoured gins are proving popular among punters.

The pub has 14 gins in total, including orange, plum and rhubarb and vanilla.