Denton had no fewer than 3 public houses at one time. As the population of the village was significantly smaller when all three were open it suggests that large numbers of Dentonians must have spent a lot of time at the bar!
The old coaching inn called the White Horse had traded from where the gatehouses are now but ceased to operate as an inn very many years ago - probably in the earlier part of the 19th century. The Quart Pot, on the bend of Bedford Road by Wareing Lane, was the next Denton pub to cease to trade in 1956.
The last licensee of the Quart Pot was Denton born Frederick Hollowell (known to all as ‘Mackie’), who, with his wife Lil, then moved to run the one remaining pub, The Red Lion (a Manns Brewery owned pub) in Main Street overlooking the village green.
They eventually retired in 1984 after 28 years behind the bar at the Red Lion and after retirement lived in a
 The Red Lion (pictured right many years ago) was acquired by brewers Charles Wells from Manns Brewers on 9th April 1984 for £69,000 on the Hollowell’s retirement. This old picture shows the pub in the days before the warm ironstone had been rendered and painted white.The front walls have also since been removed giving the pub a more open look .
Mackie and Lil are pictured below at the bar of the Red Lion just before their retirement.
 After a long period of closure and considerable refurbishment the Red Lion reopened for business on 4th May 1985 with new faces behind the bar, Bob and Chris Downs. There have been several changes of landlord since but the pub remains in the hands of the brewers Charles Wells of Bedford.
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