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J D Wetherspoon (branded variously as Wetherspoon or Wetherspoons, and colloquially known as Spoons) is a pub company operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company was founded in 1979 by Tim Martin and is based in Watford. It operates the sub-brand of Lloyds No.1 bars, and 56 Wetherspoon hotels. [3]
Location Named after The Sir John Baker Portsmouth 50°48′56″N 1°4′46″W: John Baker [2] The Bright Water Inn Southampton 50°55′11″N 1°25′50″W: The Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis Ocean Village 50°53′49″N 1°23′38″W: Lucius Curtis: The Red Lion Southampton 50°54′52″N 1°21′29″W: The Giddy Bridge Southampton
It is owned by the pub chain JD Wetherspoon who opened it on 15 August 1995, and named it after George Orwell's 1946 essay, "The Moon Under Water", describing his ideal pub. [3] It is one of 15 Wetherspoon pubs with the same name.
The pub chain currently operates at 380 locations across the UK, most located in southern regions. This puts it below larger chains like Wetherspoons and Greene King.
They also have continued to acquire a variety of new sites across the UK and close others. [8] The most recent opening was in Chelmsford, [9] where the site transitioned from a Wetherspoons to a new Walkabout bar in under three weeks. [10] In contrast, Walkabout's Liverpool venue closed on New Year's Day 2018 after 20 years. [11]
Close by is a modern Wetherspoon pub continuing the name The Angel. [17] The Blind Beggar, Whitechapel. In March 1966, Richardson Gang associate George Cornell was shot and killed by gangster Ronnie Kray in the saloon bar. [18] William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, preached his first sermon outside the pub in 1865. [19]
On 27 October 1998, a J D Wetherspoon pub named The Angel opened at 3 Islington High Street, adjacent to Angel Corner House. [16] The site is part of the original Angel Inn site that was redeveloped as shops in the 1820. [3] The pub was later sold and renamed The Junction, to be run independently. [17]
In 2000, under Martin's leadership, Wetherspoons opened its 400th location and by 2008 the number had increased to 800 Wetherspoons locations. [citation needed] In 2005, Martin was voted the fifth most influential person in the UK pub industry. [11] He is an admirer of Sam Walton's business philosophy. [12]