JD Wetherspoon: Tim Martin to open pub at London Waterloo station investing millions and creating 120 jobs
JD Wetherspoon, the pub chain owned by Sir Tim Martin, is to open a new site at London Waterloo Station, it has been revealed.
The new pub will be called the Lion and the Unicorn and is set to open this summer.
The chain said it will invest £2.5m in the pub’s development, creating 120 full- and part-time jobs.
Spoons’ as it is affectionately known, said the name of the pub was after the Festival of Britain, which was held close to the site in 1951.
It said the pub will be on the upper ground floor of the Sidings, with the repurposing being done by placemaking expert LCR.
The Sidings is an area of the station once used as the Eurostar terminal, which has now been turned into a retail space.
It has, however, struggled to pick up in recent years, with countless empty shops. There is a Brewdog bar in a large area of the Sidings, as the major success story of the redevelopment project.
Its boss James Watt has previously spoken about train strikes “killing UK businesses”. On Friday, a fresh round of strikes will start.
Other outlets at the Sidings include karaoke bar, Lucky Voice, which invested £1.6m, in a 3,200 square foot unit.
Wetherspoon’s said it will be on one level, with floor to ceiling glazing around the perimeter, offering views in from the station concourse and an abundance of natural light.
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.”
LCR’s asset management director, Sian Evans, 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.”
This comes after long-term plans to transform Waterloo Station were revealed last month in fresh efforts to improve connections with South Bank and the rest of the capital.
Its century-old roof also went through a refurbishment last year, as part of a plan to make commuters’ experience better.
London’s Waterloo station is one of the busiest in the country, ranked as the third most exits and entries in 2022, and most in 2021.
The advent of the Elizabeth Line power charged London Liverpool Street to be the capital’s most active.