England is full of historic pubs, modern craft breweries, and everyday gathering spots. In fact there are about 68 pubs per 100,000 people in the UK, while the US has only about 18. Rather than simply places to drink, pubs are social hubs functioning as community gathering spots, welcoming everyone from solitary individuals reading the paper to gatherings of work colleagues to families and dogs. Wetherspoons holds a unique place among all the offerings. Love them or hate them, while every Brit knows Wetherspoons they rarely show up on a tourist’s radar unless inadvertently visited as just another British pub. 

I fall into the love them category. What’s not to love? In addition to the cheap beer that attracts students, they also serve real ales and craft beers, plus they still have cider on tap unlike other fancier pubs I’ve visited. They have decent fish and chips, curries, and other inexpensive British foods, including my favorite bacon butty breakfast. Download the app to order directly from your table. 

They are often found in repurposed buildings, many with historic links or in listed buildings. Plus, each has its own custom carpet, so hard core enthusiasts can “collect” them. There is even a Facebook page and book devoted to Spoon’s carpets. 

Sometimes you can even figure out a link between the carpet’s design and the history of the building or location. The Briar Rose: carpet pays homage to local pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne-Jones:

The Imperial: carpet pays homage to the building’s historic Orangerie:

The Captain Flinders: carpet pays homage to Flinders’s career as a mariner navigating via the stars:

The Sir Alexander Fleming: carpet and linoleum sure look like bacteria growing in Fleming’s pre-penicillin culture plate!

There is even a “game” where patrons can purchase drinks for random strangers around the country using the ordering app. You can spend the night in a Wetherspoons hotel or read the Wetherspoon magazine. 

Although most have names related to local history, there are several called “The Moon Under Water” (or have the word “Moon” in the name) as an homage to George Orwell’s ideal pub. 

Even if you’re not into beer, cheap food, carpet spotting, or history, with over 800 locations there’s often a Wetherspoons close by for a free, easily accessible bathroom- some even finalists in England’s “best loo” awards!