With more than 1,000 pubs across the country, Wetherspoons have made a name for themselves by offering quality food and drinks at excellent prices. But while they might carry connotations of being “cheap and cheerful” for some people, it should also be recognized that they are often housed inside beautiful buildings.
Take the Castle Hotel in Ruthin, Wales, for example. This gorgeous Georgian edifice has been an inn and watering hole for almost 300 years, but it’s been in the capable hands of Wetherspoons for the last 10. So even though it has some extremely fierce competition, it could feasibly lay claim to being the poshest Wetherspoons in the whole of the UK.
A fetching façade
Dating all the way back to 1730, the Castle Hotel (as it is known today) originally belonged to the Myddleton family and was known as the White Lion, the reason being that this wild cat was the central feature of their ancestral coat of arms. However, it was rebranded as the Castle Hotel in 1883 and in 2012, it was purchased and refurbished by Wetherspoons.
Not that it has lost any of its original charm in the interim. As they so often do, Wetherspoons have done a fantastic job in maintaining the prestige and panache of its décor. The red-brick façade looks stunning from the exterior, while the ample outdoor eating area has sumptuous views of Moel Famanu.
Interior delights
Meanwhile, no expense has been spared to replicate the same beautiful aesthetics inside the building. The owners have clearly tried to imbue the medieval spirit of the town into their décor, with wrought-iron candelabras dominating the main hall and gleaming suits of armour and ornate coats of arms (belonging to Owain Glyndwr) adorning the walls.
Indeed, many people comment that the Castle Hotel is more reminiscent of a trendy upmarket wine bar than a bargain basement boozer – and it certainly attracts the right crowd of youngsters getting in some cheap drinks before hitting the tiles elsewhere later on. It’s a testament to the eye for design of the Wetherspoons team that they manage to draw in quite the eclectic crowd.
Familiar comforts
Having said that, it’s still a Wetherspoons at heart. There are invariably many reasonably priced meal deals on offer, often including a premium alcoholic drink as well. While the food isn’t likely to win any awards any time soon, it’s certainly decent fodder – especially at such rock bottom prices, too.
It’s also in keeping with the Wetherspoons tradition of eschewing music and TV screens to allow for greater communication and social interaction between its patrons. There are, of course, a smattering of gambling machines with a full suite of the latest games, including instant classics like the Aviator game, though the rolling nature of these means there is always a new title to discover every time you visit.
All in all, it’s a sensational pub housed in superb building which exemplifies the class and elegance of Georgian style. Is it the poshest Spoons in the UK? That’s a matter of opinion – but we certainly think it’s worthy of a mention.