We’ve had so much fun and education on our journey to visit all Wetherspoon Pubs called by many just “Spoons”!
And … believe us or not – We are not alone!
In fact, it seems to be growing in popularity.
Collecting is addictive. So addictive that Alan has written 2 books about it. As you probably already know, I joined Alan’s airport collecting, but I didn’t stop at his collection. I wanted to have “my own” . What can I collect – what do I like and what do I like a lot? One day, I had an idea – “Let’s visit (try to) every Wetherspoon Pub in the UK and Ireland”. Why Wetherspoon pubs not another chain – well … I uesd to work in one and I loved the ambiance of it. Alan had no objections to it. Great!!!
So, in 2016, our quest began. I was further inspired by the Wetherspoon carpets book by Kit Caless, recommended by a friend. Although only around 120 pubs are featured, I was intrigued by the fact that almost all 900(ish) pubs have their own individual carpet.
Once we started, we were even more fascinated by the level of history decorating most of the pubs’ walls: local facts, famous folk from the area, how the pub got its name, etc.. So many of the buildings were a conversion from their original use: church, bank, cinema, fire station, even a swimming pool. In fact, one of our “locals” in Tunbridge Wells was an opera house. Once a year, the pub reverts to its original use and stages an opera. Fantastic, isn’t it?
It seems rather popular to despise Wetherspoon. Maybe your local is a bit rubbish. It happens, but venture further, if so, and you will be rewarded. Even the less inspiring pubs always have a very good real ale beer selection. And no, we are not on the Wetherspoon payroll, but my geographical knowledge of the UK has been so enhanced by our pub visits (and Alan’s to a lesser extent – after all he’s lived here all his life and, his original collection took him to many English towns and cities – see “About Us”).
What’s better than ticking off a few more Wetherspoon pubs whilst adding to our walking collection…….
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