A pub has been given a six figure revamp – to make it look 100 years older.

The New Town Pub was given the £100,000 makeover by leaseholder Robin Wheeler and freeholder Youngs Brewery in a bid to start a renaissance of the “traditional London pub”.

And to celebrate the step back in time, the 51-year-old and his wife Natasha, 41, posed in Victorian dress to mimic a 90-year-old photo of the pub he uncovered while doing research in to the project.

Mr Wheeler said: “In recent years we have seen traditional pubs being eroded by modern redesigns until there are hardly any left inside in Sutton.

“We wanted to return one to its traditional roots.”

The publican said he researched what the pub could have looked like by looking at history books on the Victorian era.

No pictures of the interior of the boozer in Lind Road were available, but he studied a number of photos of its exterior.

Included in the redesign of the pub are original century-old barrels and the pub’s original outdoor sign, which has been hung from the ceiling. Old photos of Sutton also adorn the walls.

Mr Wheeler, who in his career as a venue manager has run Brighton Pier and the bar at world famous golfing hotel the Belfry, believes his expensive efforts to resurrect a traditional pub will pay dividends while hundreds of pubs are closing up and down the UK.

He said the pub had already seen a 50 per cent rise in customers since its revamp.

He said: “Too many pubs have had to close after they looked for a gimmick to save them.

“By resurrecting what a London pub used to be - a quiet place where people could meet and chat - I'm sure we will do well.”

A spokesperson for the Campaign for Real Ale, that supports traditional pubs, backed the idea.

He said: "We support any move that brings back a traditional feel to a pub."