AN American tourist visiting the UK recently was overjoyed to discover Wetherspoons’ breakfasts are just £3.65 each. But as it happens, the pub chain’s cheap meals aren’t the only tourist draw – some of them are truly stunning. Many Wetherspoons around the country are homed in historic buildings featuring amazing architecture. Some were former theatres […]
AN American tourist visiting the UK recently was overjoyed to discover Wetherspoons’ breakfasts are just £3.65 each.
But as it happens, the pub chain’s cheap meals aren’t the only tourist draw – some of them are truly stunning.
Many Wetherspoons around the country are homed in historic buildings featuring amazing architecture.
Some were former theatres while others had once been grand bingo halls.
There are even ones by the sea that offers unbeatable views of the coastline.
So if you’re looking for somewhere different to down a pint, here are a few you should check out first:
The stunning Opera House in Royal Tunbridge Wells was in fact an opera house when it first opened in 1902.
In the years since, it’s been transformed into a cinema in the 1930s, and then a bingo hall, before finally becoming a Wetherspoons pub.
But despite the fact that the building hasn’t been an opera house for almost 100 years, it’s still kept many of its features, including the original booths and stalls.
The Winter Gardens had once been part of the Royal Baths in Harrogate, and was a place where visitors could relax any time of the year.
It originally opened in 1897, and was commissioned by Richard Ellis, a man who’s been dubbed “the father of Victorian Harrogate”.
The pub today has kept many of the original features, including its impressive glass ceiling.
Behind the impressive exteriors of The Corn Exchange in Bury St Edmunds is an even more impressive interior featuring a grand glass ceiling.
This Grade I listed building originally opened for trades in 1862.
Its modern use is very reminiscent of history – there are shops on the ground floor with the pub located on the top floor.
The Royal Victoria Pavilion in Ramsgate is housed in a stunning building that dates back to the Victorian/Edwardian period.
Although it’s a Grade II listed building, it had once been left dilapidated.
Now it’s in prime location for those looking for a pint on a day out by the beach.
Another seaside pub is The Velvet Coaster in Blackpool.
The pub is named after a fairground ride, one of the original rollercoasters where people sat in velvet-lined carriages that rolled down wooden tracks.
But while named after a historic ride, the pub itself is incredibly modern, with views of the Lancashire coast.
The Caley Picture House in Edinburgh looks like it could feature in the Great Gatsby with its navy and gold decor.
The building had once been part of a hotel, being being converted into a cinema.
Some of the original features of the “picture house” still remain – but you will have to go upstairs for the best view of it.
The Palladium in Llandudno had also once been a cinema, first opened in the 1920s.
But it was no simple cinema – the interiors featured seating on three floors, including stalls, dress circle and balcony, so it could be used as a theatre as well.
Many of these features still remain in the pub today.
If you’re looking for somewhere to spend your money, there’s nowhere more apt than The Counting House in Glasgow.
The building had once been owned by the Bank of Scotland and was designed in the Italian Renaissance style.
Many of the bank’s features remain, and you can even have a pint in the vault.
Right next to Liverpool Street Station in London is Hamilton Hall, which had once been the ballroom of the Great Eastern Hotel.
While relatively plain from the outside, the interior is decked with gold and even features a chandelier.
And if you go upstairs, the elaborate ceiling will leave you no doubt about its past as an impressive ballroom.
Another impressive pub is The Knights Templar, which is housed in a former Union Bank building.
It’s named after Warrior Monks – who you may have come across in the Da Vinci Code – and you’ll see lots of references to the ancient order in the pub.
But perhaps bizarrely, it’s best known for its particularly posh toilets, which features a statue inside.
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