Pub is transformed into £25million five-bedroom home - PHOTO

When your local pub is refurbished you might expect a few new leather chairs, polished bar and a lick of paint.So former regulars of the Red Lion in Mayfair might be surprised to see it now has an indoor swimming pool, five bedrooms and eight bathrooms.The disused pub has been transformed from a dingy drinking establishment to a luxury home – worth £25million.It was closed down in 2009 and sold to developers who began a major renovation project in the style of the Channel 4 programme Grand Designs.Much of the building was demolished, but the Red Lion’s original facade – now painted a pristine white – is still part of the home.Architects designed two subterranean levels, more than doubling the site’s area from 4,200sqft  to 9,500sqft.They even clad a large expanse  of the property’s walls in 4,080 folded aluminium leaves which mirror the real Virginia creeper climbing the opposite building on Curzon Street.And while drinkers may have  jostled for a seat on a Friday night in the old pub, its new occupants will be spoilt for choice thanks  to four reception rooms and two roof terraces.The home, now called Red Lion House, still has a bar in the underground part of the building – which also boasts a cinema, gym and swimming pool.Marketed by estate agent Wetherell, the property is within close reach of 26 Michelin-starred restaurants and a number of five-star hotels. It also includes underfloor heating, a bespoke kitchen and a maid’s bedroom.Peter Wetherell, managing director of the estate agent, said the pub ‘went downhill over the years’, adding: ‘It is a prime example of what you can do by taking a piece of real estate and transforming it into a fine home.‘It is also a bit of a mystery from the outside, and having a roof terrace is rare – you don’t see many of these in Mayfair.’The £25million price tag makes Red Lion House 150 times more expensive than the average property sold in England and Wales.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az