In addition to cheap food and drink, Wetherspoons is well known for taking old buildings and giving them a new lease of life as pubs and nightlife spots.
With so many of the chain’s pubs on Tyneside, these are the stories behind each of the region’s pubs and how they turned into boozers after, in some cases, a long history.
1. How every Wetherspoons pub in Newcastle got its name and the stories behind them
How every Wetherspoons pub in Newcastle got its name and the stories behind them Photo: Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images
2. The Mile Castle
The Mile Castle is the region’s largest Wetherspoons and has its roots going back hundreds of years. A Roman biographer claimed the border between the empire and Scotland was marked with a castle at every mile, hence the name. The Grade II listed building was initially a bank which opened in 1863.
3. The Five Swans
This Wetherspoons is situated over the road from the Civic Centre, where a statue of five swans sits outside. The centre was opened by King Olav V of Norway while each swan on the statue represents the five Scandinavian nations of Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland, representing the region's links to the city. Photo: Google
4. The Keel Row
The Keel Row in The Gate complex has its name based on the region's nautical past. The Gate has a stylised boat inside recalling the keel boats which once carried coal out to collier boats waiting on the Tyne.