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 in the North East, these are the stories behind each of the region’s pubs and how they turned into boozers after, in some cases, a long history.
9. The William Jameson, Sunderland
This Wearside pub is named after the man who laid out Fawcett Street and the surrounding roads on behalf of the Fawcett family. The road sits on modern day Fawcett Street. | Google Maps
10. The Ritz, Wallsend
The Ritz in Wallsend was completed in 1939 as an art deco cinema of the same name. It has also been used as a bingo hall before the pub chain took it over. | Google
11. The High Main
Byker was originally one of five villages which made up the ‘township of Byker’, transformed by industrial expansion from the growth of the coal trade. The High Main refers to one of the ten High Main coal seams. | Google Street View
12. The Tilley Stone
This Gateshead boozer's name comes from the region's coal history. The ‘Tilley’ and ‘Stone’ seams were worked on at Dunston to the west and were serviced by the nearby Staithes. | Google