First glimpse at Britain’s BIGGEST Wetherspoons boasting beach front terrace & its own tea bar after £750,000 overhaul
BRITAIN’s biggest Wetherspoons has wowed pubgoers after bosses splashed out £750,000 on a revamp.
The Royal Victoria Pavilion in Ramsgate is the largest Wetherspoons in the UK and boasts a beach front terrace and its own tea bar.
The boozer welcomed back customers on Saturday December 7 after being shut for almost a month for refurbishment and expansion.
Having already had room for 1,400 people, it is now hoped the works will accommodate another 100.
The venue has increased seating by extending the mezzanine level to create a complete ring around the building and installing a glass wall in the lower garden.
Appearances have also been improved with fresh carpets, new tables and a new tea bar installed – as well as the exterior having been sandblasted and repainted.
However, direct access to the beachfront will now be off-limits, with hopes of seeing less litter coming from the business as a result.
The upstairs terrace has been tidied up, with landscaping efforts made to create a vista incorporating plants and the sea.
Across the past six months, the project has cost about £750,000.
Manager Chris Whitbourn said: “We’re obviously really excited. It’s always nice to come back to your own home.
“There’s a lot of things that needed doing at the same time.
“It was important that we did the external redecorations 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.
“It made sense to do it once we got into more of a low season in November so we’d be open again for Christmas when the trade picks up.
“We’re looking forward to having everyone back.”
Many of the staff had been temporarily transferred over to neighbouring Spoons pubs while the work was completed and were chuffed to return.
JD Wetherspoon opened inside the Grade-II listed building in 2017 following a £4.5 million revamp.
Designed by architect Stanley Davenport Adshead in 1903, the formerly derelict pavilion had stood empty for nine years before Tim Martin‘s firm took over.
It was originally built as a concert and assembly hall but later became a nightclub and then a casino.
What is it like to visit the UK's biggest Wetherspoons
The Sun’s Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey went down to visit.
“Despite it’s size and even on a Monday afternoon, I struggled to get one by the window as most people sit around the edges to be near one of the many beach views.
“Sadly staff said there was no good or bad time to find a spot, saying they are always the popular seats.
“A local told me they often come to the pub, despite living in the nearby Margate which has its own Wetherspoons.
“If you are a fan of the Spoons pubs, then it is definitely worth a day trip – many of my friends in London were even discussing planning a pilgrimage to it.”