HERE is the first glimpse at a £5 million ‘super Spoons’ with the bargain booze chain’s first hotel in the North East boasting 26 en-suite rooms and a mammoth beer garden.
The Mile Castle in Newcastle city centre has had a major face-lift – with work also being finalised on the adjoining hotel.
The pub re-opened yesterday after 13 weeks[/caption]
The new 26-bedroom hotel and 3,000sqft beer garden is due to be open in November[/caption]
The refurbishment cost £5 million[/caption]
The pub – which re-opened yesterday after 13 weeks – has been refurbished throughout with internal alterations creating new areas across the three-storey space including an extension to the third-floor bar area.
There are also upgraded kitchen facilities, a new gents toilet and longer bars.
Around 70 new jobs have been created as part of the project.
The hotel itself will feature 26 en-suite rooms, as well as a beer garden on a former car park behind the pub.
Wetherspoons bought Gibb Chambers, a 19th century building on Westgate Road, in 2019, but the pub expansion plan was initially delayed by the pandemic.
The former home of Samuel Phillips Law Firm was originally the infirmary of Dr CJ Gibb, who was made famous in the Blaydon Races song.
The hotel is set to open in November, with the development bringing the pub’s headcount to around 200.
Pub manager Kris Lee said: “The £5m investment highlights Wetherspoon’s commitment to the pub, its staff and customers, as well as to Newcastle itself.
“We are delighted that we can also create 70 new jobs for local people.
“The team are looking forward to welcoming customers back into The Mile Castle and we’re confident that they will be impressed by the new-look pub.
“We also look forward to the new hotel opening on November 12.”
Wetherspoon has more than 800 pubs around the UK, with around 30 in the North East.
Part of The Mile Castle pub will be converted into a nightclub with a live DJ at weekends.
The pub giant has owned and operated the pub itself for more than 15 years, having acquired and transformed the former Sports Cafe into one of the biggest pubs in the city.
Full list of Wetherspoons hotels in the UK
THERE are more than 50 Wetherspoons pubs with their own hotel attached in the UK, here’s the full list:
- The Bottle Kiln, Harwich
- The Crown Hotel, Biggleswade
- The Golden Hope, Sittingbourne
- The Golden Lion, Rochester
- The Greenwood Hotel, Northolt
- The Hatchet Inn, Newbury
- The John Russell Fox, Andover
- The Last Post, Southend-on-Sea
- The Pilgrim’s Progress, Bedford
- The Queen Hotel, Aldershot
- The Swan Hotel, Leighton Buzzard
- The Thomas Ingoldsby, Canterbury
- The Mile Castle, Newcastle upon Tyne
- The Three Tuns, Thirsk
- The Unicorn Hotel, Ripon
- The Angel Hotel, Whitby
- The Furness Railway, Barrow-in-Furness
- The White Lady, Corstorphine
- The Guildhall & Linen Exchange, Dunfermline
- The Golden Acorn, Glenrothes
- The Brocket Arms, Wigan
- Jolly’s Hotel, Broughty Ferry
- The King’s Highway, Inverness
- The White Hart Hotel, Okehampton
- The Queen’s Head Hotel, Tavistock
- The Duke of Wellington, Minehead
- The Wyndham Arms Hotel, Bridgend
- The Greyhound, Bridport
- Cabot Court Hotel, Weston-Super-Mare
- The John Francis Basset, Camborne
- The Bath Arms, Warminster
- The George Hotel, Brecon
- The Kings Head Hotel, Monmouth
- The King’s Head Inn, Salisbury
- The Bull and Stirrup Hotel, Chester
- George Hotel, Bewdley
- The Briar Rose, Birmingham
- The Crown, Worcester
- The Foley Arms Hotel, Great Malvern
- The Shrewsbury Hotel, Shrewsbury
- The Catherine Wheel, Henley-on-Thames
- The Portland Hotel, Chesterfield
- The Saxon Crown, Corby
- The Yarborough Hotel, Grimsby
- Globe Hotel, King’s Lynn
- Sandford House, Huntingdon
- The Hippodrome, March
- The Kings Head Hotel, Beccles
- The Romany Rye, Dereham
- The Troll Cart, Great Yarmouth
- Keavan’s Port Hotel, Dublin
- The Old Borough, Swords
- The Admiral of the Humber, Kingston Upon Hull
- The Red Lion, Doncaster
- The Royal Hop Pole, Tewkesbury
Wetherspoon founder and chairman Tim Martin said: “The investment highlights our commitment to the pub, its customers and staff, as well as the city of Newcastle.
“The Mile Castle is an extremely popular pub and we are confident that our customers will welcome the work being undertaken in the pub as well as the creation of our first hotel in the city.”
The pub operator won a bidding war with 30 other firms to acquire the Grade II listed Gibb Chambers in 2018.
And the nearest Wetherspoon hotel at present is in Whitby, at The Angel Hotel, where prices start at £65 per night.
JD Wetherspoon opened its first hotel in 1998 in Shrewsbury and now has 67 around the UK.
Spoons pubs are known for some of their well-preserved historical buildings and their affordable prices.
It comes as boozer fans described one beachfront Wetherspoons as the “nicest” in particular due to its “beautiful views”.
Meanwhile, Sun Travel visited all three Wetherspoon pubs at London Gatwick Airport.
And this beachside Spoons has been described as “the best in the country”.
The pub has a new-look decor[/caption]
Punters were quick to return to the boozer yesterday[/caption]
Bar manager Kris Lee outside the re-opened boozer[/caption]
The new hotel will boast 26 bedrooms[/caption]
Each room will have an en-suite bathroom[/caption]
Spoons founder Tim Martin is backing the huge change[/caption]
