The Red House is situated on what used to be the old crossroads of the Old North Road (Ermine Street) and the Cambridge to Oxford road which is now a byway (Green Lane).
The front aspect of the Red House was built around 1750 with the rear being much older, no exact date can be ascertained. It was called 'The Golden Lion' but with the buildings new vibrant red brick color the name was changed to that we have today.
It used to be a coaching inn and working farm on the London to Berwick route with the previous change of horses being Buntingford and in 1834 it was detailed as having stabling for 29 horses and 8 letting bedrooms. There was a separate farmhouse which was demolished in 1969. It was located near to the well.
Sightings of a male ghost in the bar area have been reported by customers although how sober they were at the time is questionable. He has been sighted on numerous occasions although we have no idea as to his identity.
The Inn was closed for two and a half years before it was purchased by its current owner Martin. He renovated, and unusually for a rural pub, reopened the property as a restaurant and bar on December 4th 1998. A local artist painted all of the sporting murals that you can see around the bar and restaurant area.
During the renovation the kitchen was moved to its present location from what is now the 'Barn' area.
* FROM THE NEWS OF APRIL 1977
There may be treasure at the bottom of the garden at the Red House pub in Longstowe. Or there may not. The landlord, Rex Ford, is finding out with the help of a team of divers. They spent six hours in the icy well water but didn't reach the bottom after 90ft and were forced to abandon the hunt, having reached the limit of their decompression exposure time. George Hughes, 70, remembers drawing water from the well when a boy to power steam traction engines. "That is one of the deepest wells hereabouts and is reckoned to be over 300 years old," he said.