Wetherspoons has become one of the well known brands in towns city centre's for a while now and are excellent meeting places whilst drinking cheap beer and grabbing a bite to eat. Many people tick off McDonald's, train stations etc but as a craft ale drinker, I like to tick off Wetherspoons (as they are also on the CaskFinder app, part of the world's biggest pub crawl). I also find Wetherspoons a great place to take the family to grab some food during the daytime when we go exploring around the United Kingdom. I started this adventure in August 2021 and I ticked off my one hundredth Wetherspoons in December 2024. Here is what I have done so far. Just to warn you guys, I was not paid or had anything sponsor ship wise from Wetherspoons, and all this was done with my own money.

1: The Barrel Vault, London St Pancras Train Station
The MRC was determined to make St Pancras ‘the finest and smartest railway station in London’. The single-span iron-and-glass roof, designed by its chief engineer William Barlow, is a marvel of Victorian engineering. Painted blue to ‘give the impression that the roof melted seamlessly into the sky’, it was recently restored using a new paint named English Heritage Barlow Blue.
To overcome the natural slope of the land and numerous other constraints, Barlow decided that trains would enter the railway station on a raised deck, over five metres higher than the adjoining roads. The deck was supported by hundreds of cast-iron columns. The elevated platforms meant that there was a vast area below available for storage. It was used to store thousands of barrels of ‘Burton Beer’ – highly popular in the capital at the time.
‘Burton Beer’ was brought mainly from the Bass and Thomas Salt breweries in Burton-on-Trent. Salt’s store dominated the eastern façade of the station (a few steps south of the J D Wetherspoon site) and included a sampling room, in which wholesalers could taste the beers. Salt’s business was later taken over by Bass, whose trains continued bringing beer to St Pancras until 1964.
The almost-never-ending beer barrels were lowered from platform level into the vast storage area below by means of a hydraulic lift. The site of the lift is clearly marked on old Ordnance Survey maps (from the 1870s until the 1960s), almost within touching distance of today’s J D Wetherspoon premises. There were also several signal posts in the immediate vicinity, vital for the safe passage of the many beer trains entering and leaving the station.
2: The Leading Light, Faversham, Kent
The name of this pub recalls Henry Wreight (pronounced ‘rate’), who was a leading light in the development of Faversham in the 19th century. One the town’s two main benefactors, after his death in 1840, his bequest was used to provide schools, the recreation ground and almshouses. He was also three times mayor of Faversham.
3: The West Gate Inn, Canterbury, Kent
This pub takes its name from its proximity to Canterbury’s West Gate, one of the finest medieval gateways in Britain. This grade II listed building dates from the 17th century. Over the years, it has been modified and rebuilt, losing much of its timber frame and original features.
4: The Thomas Ingoldsby, Canterbury, Kent
Richard Harris Barham was born in 1788, at 61 Burgate, across the road from this Wetherspoon pub. Using the pen name Thomas Ingoldsby, he wrote The Ingoldsby Legends which first appeared in 1840, in a periodical edited by Charles Dickens.
5: The Angel Vaults Inn, Hitchin, Hertfordshire
Next door to the former Conservative Club is the Sun Hotel. Previously known as the Sun Inn, it replaced an earlier inn of the same name. This inn gave Sun Street its name during the 17th century. However, for the preceding two centuries, the thoroughfare had been known as Angel Street, after the Angel Vaults Inn which stood next to the Sun Inn. The Angel had the date 1450 on its façade. It was later rebuilt, but was eventually declared unsafe and demolished in 1956.
First visit in August 2021, then revisited in September 2024 for Darren White's leaving do.
6: The Liberty Bounds, Tower Hamlets, London
This pub is located just outside the boundary of the area, or liberty, controlled by the City of London. The pub stands close to the site of the scaffold where many prisoners from the Tower of London met their fate in the 16th and 17th century.
7: The Metropolitan Bar, Marylebone, London
This pub is named after the Metropolitan Railway – the world’s first urban underground railway which passes under Marylebone Road. The company’s house style was developed later, mainly by its own architect, Charles W Clark. His grandest scheme was for the reconstruction of Baker Street which included a new company headquarters and Chiltern Court, a huge block of flats above the station. The work was begun in 1911, yet was not completed until the late 1920s.
8: The Willow Walk, Victoria, London
Willow Walk was originally the causeway across the marshy ground leading to Westminster Abbey. By the 18th century, the causeway had been replaced by the tree-lined thoroughfare called Willow Walk, in the area which was to become known as Victoria.
9: Wetherspoons, London Victoria Train Station
Wetherspoons is on the upper level of ‘Victoria Island’ – self-contained shops on the station’s ‘Brighton side’. The station was opened in 1860 by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. Designed by Robert Jacomb-Hood, it stood alongside the new Grosvenor Hotel (now Thistle Victoria). In 1862, the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (later South Eastern and Chatham Railway) opened its terminus alongside, on the station’s ‘Kent side’, using broad-gauge, rather than standard, tracks.

10: London and South Western, Clapham, London
This distinctive building opened around 1935 as the new flagship store for ‘dealers in furniture’ Hastings Ltd, which had occupied a row of shops on the same site, part of Queens Parade. The arrival of the railways transformed this once-rural area, with the parade built afterwards. The first line opened in 1838, operated by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR). Later, other railway companies would extend lines through the area. However, the first station did not open until 1863, after LSWR had joined forces with rival companies to build one at Falcon Bridge – later renamed Clapham Junction.
11: The Standing Order, Stevenage, Hertfordshire
The name of this J D Wetherspoon pub recalls that this building was occupied by a branch of Lloyds Bank from 1963 until recently. The origins of Lloyds can be traced to 18th century Birmingham. John Taylor, a Unitarian manufacturer of buttons and japanned goods, set up in partnership with a Quaker ironmonger, Sampson Lloyds, in 1765.
A private bank, Taylors & Lloyds operated only in Birmingham until the mid-19th century. The sons of the original partners had opened a bank in London, and when Lloyds absorbed this in 1884, they also acquired their famous Black Horse symbol.Following its merger with the Trustee Savings Bank, Lloyds became Lloyds TSB. The TSB traces its origins to Reverend Henry Duncan, who opened his Savings Bank near Dumfries in 1810.
From the early 19th century, until Lloyds took over, 33 High Street was a butcher’s shop. First run by Joseph Moulden, the business was taken over in the 1890s, by FE O’Clee. Mr O’Clee made deliveries by horse and cart. His son Harry, possibly the first person in the town to own a car, replaced it with a motor-cycle combination.
12: The Eight Bells, Dover, Kent
This pub stands in the shadow of St Mary’s, one of Dover’s main parish churches for more than 400 years. The church was totally rebuilt in 1843, except for the tower, which has the eight bells, giving this pub, part of the former Metropole Hotel, its name.

13: The Three Magnets, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire
Letchworth was the first ‘Garden City’, inspired by the work of the urban planner Ebenezer Howard. He illustrated his idea for ‘Garden Cities’ with his famous three-magnets diagram, from which this Wetherspoon pub gets its name. The pub building was previously owned by the firm of T Brooker, which first started up in business in nearby Hitchin. These premises were built in 1924 as part of a new parade of shops in Leys Avenue and Station Road, linked by The Arcade. The photograph (above), taken in the inter-war years, shows Brooker’s store to the right of the entrance to The Arcade.
14: The Manor House, Royston, Hertfordshire
This grade II listed former town house dates from the early 18th century. The left hand block, as you face the building, was added in the late 19th century (1887–98). The decorative iron railings at the front were removed during World War II. English Heritage recently included the property on its Buildings at Risk Register. A plaque by the front door, hidden behind overgrown bushes, states that Royston Manor House was the name ‘adopted in October 1948’ for what later became known as The Manor House Club.
15: Shakespeare Head, Holborn, London
This pub takes its name from its famous namesake which was in nearby Wych Street, off Drury Lane, frequented by actors and literary figures, such as Charles Dickens. The writer Mark Lemon spent several years as the pub’s landlord and later founded Punch magazine, which he edited for nearly 30 years, until his death in 1870.
16: The Sir John Oldcastle, Farringdon, London
Named after The Sir John Oldcastle Tavern, which stood in the former grounds of Sir John’s nearby mansion, this was already long established by 1680. Oldcastle is thought to have been the model for Shakespeare’s character ‘Falstaff’.
17: Harpsfield Hall, Hatfield, Hertfordshire
The original Harpsfield Hall stood nearby and was approached by a long driveway, across open fields. It seems to have been built in the early 19th century, when it replaced a larger, older house of the same name, described as ‘a commodious residence with pleasure grounds’. The later hall was demolished in the 1930s to make way for the main runway of the new Hatfield Aerodrome. This pub stands at the corner of the old aerodrome site.

18: The Crown Hotel, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire
Thought to have dated from before 1672, the former inn on this site burned down in the Great Fire of Biggleswade – which started at the hotel on 16 June 1785. According to the Biggleswade History Society, this was (in 1700) one of the town’s 11 inns. In 1732, it is recorded in the will of Richard Hide – who left the inn to his family. The hotel was grade II listed in 1978 and closed in 2013. Reopened as a Wetherspoons hotel soon after that.

19: The Richmal Crompton, Bromley, London
This is named after Richmal Crompton, the author best known for her ‘William’ books. William Brown first appeared in a series of short stories, written in Richmal’s spare time, while she was a teacher at Bromley High School for Girls. She lived in Bromley for 26 years, first in Cherry Orchard Road and later in nearby Oakley Road.
20: The Society Rooms, Maidstone, Kent
The Society Rooms takes its name from the efforts of William Shipley, founder of the Royal Society of Arts and the Maidstone Society for Promoting Useful Knowledge. Shipley died in 1803 and is buried in Maidstone and lies in a tomb between All Saints Church and the old Palace.
21: The Muggleton Inn, Maidstone, Kent
This grade II listed building was built in 1827, as the new offices of the Kent Fire Insurance Company, on this site since 1802. The palatial property was built to the designs of noted local architect John Whichcord Senior. The company’s horse-drawn fire engine was stored to the rear of the premises. The Royal Insurance Company took over in 1901, remaining here for around 90 years. The building was converted into The Muggleton Inn in 1995. In takes its name from Charles Dickens’ famous novel The Pickwick Papers (published in the 1830s) in which Maidstone is called ‘Muggleton’ and its residents ‘Muggletonians’. These premises were refurbished by J D Wetherspoon in October 2014.
22: The Hope and Champion, M40 services at Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
The Hope and Champion, the only Wetherspoons pub located at a motorway service station in the country, is on the M40 at Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.
23: The Flying Horse, London Gatwick Airport South Terminal
Gatwick Airport covers the site of Gatwick Race Course, which had held race meetings here for 50 years from 1890. The name ‘Flying Horse’ links the old race course with the airport. Located in the South Terminal, I have been here many times for breakfast before early morning flights.
24: The Swan & Castle, Oxford, Oxfordshire
Oxford’s second Wetherspoon pub opened in December 2009, in the castle development. A huge open-plan room is served by an equally huge L-shaped bar. The overall ambiance is that of a hotel lounge and there is a small external area with patio seating. Watch out! This pub is situated next to the site of the females’ exercising yard, cells and wash houses added to Oxford prison in 1850! These premises are named after a long-standing public house which was demolished in 1968 to make way for the adjacent County Hall building. The Swan & Castle was built in 1896, on the site of The Swan, erected in 1806, which replaced than even earlier Nag’s Head, recorded in 1667.


25: The College Arms, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
The old red-brick part of this building was originally a technical college which first opened in 1903 and has given its name to this Wetherspoon pub.
26: The Drapers Arms, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
This building was purpose built for the draper and milliner Charles Armstrong in 1899. Armstrong traded at this address for almost a century. The new building was partly occupied by Charles Armstrong, who moved his business here from New Road.The shop soon expanded into the rest of the premises, where he was helped by five of his six children, until his death in 1926. In more recent years, Armstrong’s specialised in carpets, curtains and linens, trading at this address until 1996.
27: The Hippodrome, March, Cambridgeshire
The former Hippodrome is located close to the junction with Broad Street, the town’s main shopping area. The 900-seat cinema opened on 8 February 1929, built for March Amusements at a cost of £20,000 (the initials ‘MA’ can be seen atop the Dartford Road façade). There was also a stage and five dressing rooms. The stage doors are in the side street on Darthill Road. After a change of ownership in the 1960s, this became a bingo hall. Although films were reintroduced recently, the little-changed Hippodrome closed down in 2009.
28: The George Hotel, Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire
This grade II listed building dates from the late 18th century, but was remodelled in the mid 19th century. In the 20th century, the eastern end was demolished as part of road-widening. This historic inn was originally called the George and Star. Its landlords can be identified as far back as 1830. By 1880, it was known as the George Inn and later as The George Hotel.
29: The Montagu Pyke, Soho, London
The main part of this pub (fronting onto Charing Cross Road) was built in 1911 by Montagu Pyke as his 16th (and last) cinema. Thats all I got on the history of this pub.
30: The Moon Under Water, Leicester Square, Soho, London
The name of this Wetherspoon free house recalls the ideal pub described by George Orwell. The writer called his fictitious pub ‘Moon Under Water’. Located on the famous Leicester Square which was laid out in 1670 by Lord Leicester. The first house on the site of this pub was occupied, in turn, by a Lord Chancellor, two princes and the famous Scottish surgeon John Hunter. ‘Hunter’s House’ was demolished in 1892 and replaced by the present building.
31: Penderel's Oak, Holborn, London
The name of this pub relates to events that took place in 1651, and a humble family who saved the life of a king.This pub occupies the ground-floor and cellar of Penderel House, named after Richard Penderel. At the end of the Civil War, in 1652, he helped King Charles II to escape from Cromwell’s troops by hiding the royal fugitive in an oak tree on his country estate.
32: The Six Templars, Hertford, Hertfordshire
The Poor Fellow Soldiers of Jesus Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, popularly known as the Knights Templar, was the first and one of the most famous of the Christian orders. Founded for the protection of pilgrims visiting the Holy Land (Jerusalem), it existed for approximately two centuries. The Templars had several houses in Hertfordshire.When the order was suppressed in 1307, six Templars were arrested in Dinsley, near Hitchin. Four of them were imprisoned for six months in Hertford Castle which stood to the rear of the pub.
33: The Old Swan, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire
Centrally located close to the town's market place this Wetherspoon pub attracts a varied clientele throughout the day. Up to six handpumps are in use at any one time with a varied choice of frequently changing local and national ales. A large open plan seating area downstairs is supplemented with a quieter upper level to the rear. A small rear outdoor patio and separate smoking area are also provided. Food is served all day. Very busy on race days. The earliest map of Uttoxeter, drawn in 1629, shows that a timber-framed house stood on this site. This was the home of Peter Lightfoot, the son of the vicar and a well-regarded man of letters. Lightfoot’s house had previously been the Old Swan public house. In 1796 an independent Congregational Chapel was opened at the rear. It was a memorable occasion, with “a number of riotous persons in the street outside, who disturbed the assembly and made a bonfire… in which they fixed an effigy of the minister”. After the Chapel closed in 1828 the premises were used as “a carpet room” and then the furniture department of The Five Shops, later George Orme & Sons Ltd. When Ormes closed in the 1970s the building continued as a furniture store until the turn of the century.
34: Waterend Barn, St Albans, Hertfordshire
These two characterful 16th and 17th century timber barns were dismantled and transported to St Albans from elsewhere in Hertfordshire in the early and middle 20th century, joined together and then for many years run as tea-rooms. The larger barn originally stood next to Water End House, by a ford over the River Lea, in the Parish of Sandridge. Water End House and Barn were probably built around 1610, by Sir John Jennings. In 1938, Water End Barn was dismantled and re-erected in the middle of St Albans, serving as Waterend Barn Restaurant. A few years later, it was enlarged by a smaller barn from Little Hormead. Converted into a JD Wetherspoon pub by in 2005, the timber construction is largely exposed to view and there are several drinking areas and a wide range of real ales on offer. Food is available all day with early morning breakfasts which we had one Sunday morning.