With the nation’s boozers under threat, the UK’s – and the world’s – largest Wetherspoons is on a mission to challenge cheap supermarket alcohol prices
The Royal Victoria Pavilion, in Ramsgate, Kent, is remarkable in a number of different ways. Not only is it the largest pub in the Wetherspoons chain, it also has arguably the best location – right on the beach.
Chris Whitbourn, who has been the manager of the Royal Victoria since it opened eight years ago, says the boozer’s carpets need to be replaced twice as often as any other pub’s, because so many customers come in with sandy feet.
Despite its huge size, the pub is often very busy, with customers arriving from 8am, and, in some rare cases, staying until 1am – a potential 17-hour shift. One intrepid explorer recently did just that – and came out with an astoundingly low bill.
The pub underwent a massive £750,000 upgrade at the end of last year, adding room for an extra 100 punters to its already mind-boggling 1,4000 capacity.
Chris, 41, explained to the Mirror that while the Royal Victoria was temporarily closed, he took the opportunity to get a few more little jobs done.
“There’s a lot of things that needed doing at the same time,” he explained. “It was important that we did the external redecoration to keep it looking good for the whole of the town.
“Doing the garden has been something we wanted to do for a long time and just with the timing of it, we could do it all at once.”
Many staff members were temporarily relocated to neighbouring Spoons pubs during the refurbishment. JD Wetherspoon had first opened its doors in the Grade-II listed building in 2017, following a £4.5 million makeover.
The building, designed by architect Stanley Davenport Adshead in 1903 to look like a Robert Adam orangery, was previously a derelict pavilion that had been vacant for nine years before being taken over by Tim Martin’s company.
Wetherspoons superfan David Bingham, who visited all of the Wetherspoon pubs in the British Isles on his epic four-year “longest pub crawl in history” rates the Royal Victoria as the jewel in Wetherspoons’ crown: “The one in Ramsgate is my favourite because the history behind that building is incredible,” he told the BBC.
David added that had had probably spent in the region of £30,000 on his epic fact-finding mission, including travel fares, drinks and overnight stays. Highlighting the threat to the great British pub, he says that of the 875 boozers he had visited, around 40 had closed down by the time he finished his trek.
Just under 300 pubs closed across England and Wales in 2024 – an average of six every week – according to latest figures from the British Beer and Pub Association [BBPA].
There were 289 closures in the past year, at the cost of around 4,500 jobs. Industry insiders blame a number of factors, including rising prices, changing social trends, and competition from cheap supermarket booze.
Emma McClarkin, CEO of the BBPA, said: “The scale of these closures is completely avoidable because pubs are doing a brisk trade. Consumer demand is there, however, profits are being wiped out with sky high bills and pubs are facing yet more rates and costs come April.
“We’re right behind Labour’s mission to supercharge growth and can deliver this economic boost across the UK, but only if it is easier for pubs to keep their doors open.
“Government must urgently bring in meaningful business rates reform and phase in new employment costs so pubs can keep boosting the economy, supporting local jobs, and remaining at the heart of communities.”
Certainly, Wetherspoons is doing its best to compete in the supermarket price wars. The Daily Mail’s Harry Wallop, who recently spent 17 hours in the Royal Victoria, was astounded to be offered a pint for just £1.79; the average UK pint costs £4.83 according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
He added that his expenses for the day were a comparatively modest £41.44, and included “three square meals, 3 pints, a cocktail and a whisky & soda nightcap.”
Wetherspoons is never going to be the most fashionable pub – there’s simply too many of them for that – but Tim Martin’s bid to disrupt a dying industry is at least ensuring that the country’s boozers are safe for at least one more generation.