Property of the week: Beer fans will lap up this Chiswick mansion with links to historic brewery
Steeped in brewing history, this home that has come to the market in West London could be the perfect pad for a beer lover.
Records suggest it was built soon after 1700 when it was used as a pub with links to the local brewery – though some of its foundations date back to an even earlier building on the site in around 1600.
Beer and pubs have been part of Chiswick’s history for more than 350 years, and the brewery that the pub was part of – owned by a local man called Thomas Mawson – would eventually become part of Fuller’s, the brewer of London Pride ale which still has its brewery around the corner to this day. Fullers’ current brewery tap, The Mawson Arms, is named in his honour.
Red Lion House was converted into a home in the early 20th century. It is Grade II* listed, and its current owners have extensively refurbished the property. They have kept the convivial spirit alive in their restoration, however, turning the basement into a substantial wood-beamed entertaining space with a bar and wine storage, which the agent Knight Frank says has a “public house feel”.
It has a total of seven bedrooms, as well as a library, two reception rooms, two kitchens and a large conservatory. The ground floor entrance leads to a central hallway and the start of the grand staircase.
The rooms on the ground floor have a kitchen and bathroom, and could be used as staff quarters if required. On the first floor, there is a dramatic reception room which occupies the entire front of the building, offering far-reaching views of the River Thames. It also has a balcony. “This kind of lateral view is very rare indeed,” says Ed Sainter, the partner at Knight Frank who is handling the sale of Red Lion House.
The top floor is home to four additional bedrooms and a bathroom. Another highlight of the property is the substantial winter garden at the rear. and there is also a spacious outdoor garden which sits in a prime spot right on the banks of the river.
The property sits on Chiswick Mall, the picturesque stretch which leads from Chiswick up to Hammersmith Bridge. It is close to Chiswick House and Gardens, the Chiswick Eyot and Stamford Brook underground.
Red Lion House is being sold with a guide price of £6.95m. “We have had good interest,” says Sainter. “It is an unusual house, and that comes at a premium price – but someone is going to walk in and say, ‘This is our home’.”