TRIVIA: Stations with Wetherspoons

[dk1]

Where the John Lewis used to be.

It looks to be further over than that. Wasn’t JL in Grand Central?

 

[Mordac]

It looks to be further over than that. Wasn’t JL in Grand Central?

Tbh I read somewhere that it was where JL was but now I'm beginning to doubt that too. Trouble is I never actually went into the JL when it was there so I don't have a lot of memories of it. I'll check the next time I'm in town.

 

[Kilopylae]

That explains things a little better. Penzance was probably my biggest disappointment when first heading to the West Country many moons ago & I can’t say my opinion has changed over the years. Only maybe Newquay surpasses it in my opinion of destinations never to revisit.

I take it you haven't been to Plymouth or Torquay then

 

[dk1]

I take it you haven't been to Plymouth or Torquay then

I stay at The Grand in Torquay on a regular basis. I so miss The London Inn (now Yates) as The Green Ginger is awful.

Tbh I read somewhere that it was where JL was but now I'm beginning to doubt that too. Trouble is I never actually went into the JL when it was there so I don't have a lot of memories of it. I'll check the next time I'm in town.

John Lewis was directly above the middle of New St station as you look up at Grand Central.

 

[VideozVideoz]

Newcastle upon Tyne. Although not in the station, Wetherspoons is just a stone’s throw

 

[Woolos 22]

Great western In cardiff is just out side the station. First floor there are so.e tables they you can see the trains .

 

[GoneSouth]

Do any of the ones inside stations have the station announcements playing inside the pub? I imagine that would be quite annoying!

The 2030 to Sheffield is delayed by approximately half a Guinness

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Great western In cardiff is just out side the station. First floor there are so.e tables they you can see the trains .

There is also The Prince of Wales near Cardiff Central, that used to be a theatre. I shall have to try the Great Western next time I am in that area.

Do any of the ones inside stations have the station announcements playing inside the pub? I imagine that would be quite annoying!

The 2030 to Sheffield is delayed by approximately half a Guinness

Now that would be interesting, although I am sure that I have been in a couple of pubs (Not necessarily Wetherspoons) near or in Railway Stations that do have TV Screens with train departure info showing which is very useful.

I stay at The Grand in Torquay on a regular basis. I so miss The London Inn (now Yates) as The Green Ginger is awful.



John Lewis was directly above the middle of New St station as you look up at Grand Central.

Interesting comment about Torquay, I was thinking of going there in the New Year and had looked at the Green Ginger, I should have thought that anywhere in Torquay would have been ok, is the The London Inn-Yates any good? I have been to the Wetherspoons in Paignton some time ago, but not yet the Brixham Wetherspoons where I was also thinking of visiting whilst in that area.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Do any of the ones inside stations have the station announcements playing inside the pub? I imagine that would be quite annoying!

The 2030 to Sheffield is delayed by approximately half a Guinness

The Waggon & Horses at Chapeltown has recently installed a scrolling display showing train running times just under their big screen TV.

 

[johntea]

Not a rail station but it seems their experiment of opening one at the M40 Services hasn't been quite a big of a success as they were expecting as they're selling it off less than 10 years later!

 

[38Cto15E]

Yes, and I can remember they day the second lockdown was lifted, in early December 2020. when Birmingham was still in Tier 3 (Pubs Closed) and Worcester was in Tier 2 (Pubs open - substantial meal required)

The train from Birmingham to Worcester was surprisingly busy that day for some reason.

And a few weeks later when Herefordshire went down to Tier 1 (Pubs open - no substantial meal) most of the Midlands and a good part of Wales descended on the Wetherspoons which is 5 minutes walk from Hereford station.

And I found myself in Penzance

 

[DelW]

Not a rail station but it seems their experiment of opening one at the M40 Services hasn't been quite a big of a success as they were expecting as they're selling it off less than 10 years later!

In a location like that the building is likely to be leased from the services' operator or the property's owner. Wetherspoon have been known to close even busy and successful pubs when the lease has expired, if they assess the cost of renewal as being too high, and ten years would be quite a likely lease period.

 

[dk1]

Interesting comment about Torquay, I was thinking of going there in the New Year and had looked at the Green Ginger, I should have thought that anywhere in Torquay would have been ok, is the The London Inn-Yates any good? I have been to the Wetherspoons in Paignton some time ago, but not yet the Brixham Wetherspoons where I was also thinking of visiting whilst in that area.

Hi. Yes Yates is okay but had a good atmosphere and was well run when a Spoon. Talk of the Town is the only one in Paignton now and gets extremely busy unlike Brixham which seems more reserved & a little out of the way. The Richard Hopkins is only a short walk from from Newton Abbott Station too. Another very good one is across the road from Teignmouth Station.

 

[Mikey C]

I think the Cannon Street Spoons has a train display board inside it. You can hear the station announcements anyway!

 

[Mordac]

The Waggon & Horses at Chapeltown has recently installed a scrolling display showing train running times just under their big screen TV.

The one in New St has the display too, as if I recall correctly does the one above Haymarket in Edinburgh.

 

[Aaron1]

Not in the station but Grimsby Town has a spoons literally 10 yards away!

Romford station has 2 spoons pubs just 1 min walk away

 

[SteveyBee131]

Not in the station but Grimsby Town has a spoons literally 10 yards away!
...

Mentioned by yours truly back in post 5

 

[greyman42]

In a location like that the building is likely to be leased from the services' operator or the property's owner. Wetherspoon have been known to close even busy and successful pubs when the lease has expired, if they assess the cost of renewal as being too high, and ten years would be quite a likely lease period.

They had a pub on Whitehall (London) near Trafalgar Square and that closed but was always busy when i went in. It is hard to think of that pub not being profitable, so that may be an example of what you alluded to.

 

[Mikey C]

They had a pub on Whitehall (London) near Trafalgar Square and that closed but was always busy when i went in. It is hard to think of that pub not being profitable, so that may be an example of what you alluded to.

In that case, Herts brewer McMullen bought the freehold of the site, and didn't renew the lease to Wetherspoon as they wanted the location for themselves!

 

[dk1]

In that case, Herts brewer McMullen bought the freehold of the site, and didn't renew the lease to Wetherspoon as they wanted the location for themselves!

It was a prime site.

 

[Wolfie]

There is also The Prince of Wales near Cardiff Central, that used to be a theatre. I shall have to try the Great Western next time I am in that area.


Now that would be interesting, although I am sure that I have been in a couple of pubs (Not necessarily Wetherspoons) near or in Railway Stations that do have TV Screens with train departure info showing which is very useful.




Interesting comment about Torquay, I was thinking of going there in the New Year and had looked at the Green Ginger, I should have thought that anywhere in Torquay would have been ok, is the The London Inn-Yates any good? I have been to the Wetherspoons in Paignton some time ago, but not yet the Brixham Wetherspoons where I was also thinking of visiting whilst in that area.

The Spoons on London Victoria certainly has departure screens in the pub.

In that case, Herts brewer McMullen bought the freehold of the site, and didn't renew the lease to Wetherspoon as they wanted the location for themselves!

McMullen did that with a number of central London pubs, not all Spoons (e.g. the Old Bank of England near the Royal Courts of Justice).

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Hi. Yes Yates is okay but had a good atmosphere and was well run when a Spoon. Talk of the Town is the only one in Paignton now and gets extremely busy unlike Brixham which seems more reserved & a little out of the way. The Richard Hopkins is only a short walk from from Newton Abbott Station too. Another very good one is across the road from Teignmouth Station.

Thanks for those additional recommendations, useful to know.

 

[CharlieSpotted]

Where the John Lewis used to be.

It looks to be further over than that. Wasn’t JL in Grand Central?

The Spoons is in a retail unit that's been empty ever since the station opened. It's not the John Lewis unit but near to where the escalator from John Lewis enters the station. On the corner opposite Krispy Kreme.

Unit 14 on this map:

 

[dk1]

The Spoons is in a retail unit that's been empty ever since the station opened. It's not the John Lewis unit but near to where the escalator from John Lewis enters the station. On the corner opposite Krispy Kreme.

Unit 14 on this map:


View attachment 124850

Yes thanks. I couldn't see how it could be there. This makes sense.

 

[317 forever]

I did go to the Wetherspoons on the upper level at London Victoria Railway Station some years ago, it was very busy and looked a bit run down, however from the pictures on their website now, it looks like it may have has refurbishment and looks quite good. I shall have to make a point of going there again, then also the other one, Willow Walk, is that accessible by going our out of one of the side exits near platform 2? Cheers Steve.

I used it in November 2019 for breakfast having travelled down to London on an overnight coach. It did look a bit old-fashioned then and might have been pre-refurb.

The 'Spoons opposite the long-closed Fallowfield station in south Manchester is called the Great Central - so they got the right railway this time, although the name is probably lost on most of the punters. The old station building is now part of a Sainsbury's store.

Which, since the closure of the Stockport main Sainsbury's, has become my local. Alas they have less variety than Hazel Grove and have even stopped baking batons and multi-seed loaves recently.

 

[Wolfie]

In a location like that the building is likely to be leased from the services' operator or the property's owner. Wetherspoon have been known to close even busy and successful pubs when the lease has expired, if they assess the cost of renewal as being too high, and ten years would be quite a likely lease period.

I think that Spoons are not averse to redeveloping a site, proving its operation as a successful pub and then, if the opportunity is presented, taking a hefty profit to reinvest elsewhere.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Wanstead Tube station has The George Wetherspoon literally opposite it. In larger stations such as London Liverpool Street and Birmingham New Street, it is entirely possible to walk further to the respective Wetherspoon within the station, than it is to walk from the entrance to Wanstead station to the door of the George.

 

[adamello]

I think that Spoons are not averse to redeveloping a site, proving its operation as a successful pub and then, if the opportunity is presented, taking a hefty profit to reinvest elsewhere.

I've often wondered that they like to take on a classic building (old church, cinema, police station etc.) and restore it without demolition, whether doing so gets them a tax break or such...

 

[greyman42]

I've often wondered that they like to take on a classic building (old church, cinema, police station etc.) and restore it without demolition, whether doing so gets them a tax break or such...

Perhaps they would not get permission to demolish some buildings.

 

[Mikey C]

Perhaps they would not get permission to demolish some buildings.

And many of the buildings, while run down, are actually stunning pieces of architecture, well worth preserving and exploiting