Ahh, Wetherspoons. As ingrained in British culture as talking about the weather and thinking a cup of tea is the solution to every problem. There really is no place like it. And this summer, the ultimate taproom tycoons are back, and opening yet another new boozer. This time, inside Waterloo train station. How brew-lliant?
What can we expect?
The shiny new Waterloo Wetherspoons Water-spoons is set to be called The Lion and Unicorn – named after a festival that was held nearby back in 1951. The pub will be situated in The Sidings (Waterloo station’s very own subterranean entertainment destination) and will serve up the classic menu of ‘Spoons specials everyday, between 11am-11.30pm.
Waterloo station is used on average by 250,000 people every single day. It was, in fact, the busiest station in London until last year. So, it looks like we’ll have the same odds of nabbing a table at the Wetherspoon as we do a rush hour tube seat.
The development of the new Wetherspoon comes (unsurprisingly) with a rather hefty price-tag. It’s said to be costing a whopping £2.5million. No wonder they’ve had to start charging £7.30 for some of their pints, hey?
We know it may not be everybody’s cup of tea purple rain, but who can resist the tempting pull of a Wetherspoon pub for a quick pint before a long journey? I certainly can’t.
No opening date has yet been confirmed, but it’s set to be open this summer. The opening of the Waterloo Wetherspoon will create 120 full and part times jobs.
Wetherspoon chairman and founder, Tim Martin, said: “We are looking forward to opening our new pub. We are confident it will appeal to a wide range of people and be a great asset to the station itself.”
Sian Evans, the management director of LCR property developers, added: “The Sidings at Waterloo is set to become one of London’s leading leisure and entertainment destinations. The new Wetherspoon pub will provide another great reason for people to visit.”