For some, Wetherspoons pubs are a beacon of joy, offering cheap pints and affordable food. For others, they are a sign of everything that has gone wrong with the country in recent years, mostly clearly outlined by the fact that the Chairman and founder of the chain, Sir Tim Martin, was a supporter of Brexit.
Regardless of which side of the argument you come down on, the one thing that can’t be argued with is the success of Wetherspoons as a brand, which has around 900 different premises under its name around the United Kingdom. Now one more is being primed to join the collection, based on the University of Surrey campus.
About Wetherspoons
Whilst the chances of anyone never having heard of Wetherspoons are slim, they aren’t at zero. It is even more likely that even those that know about the pub chain don’t know about some of the controversies that have long surrounded Sir Tim Martin. J D Wetherspoon plc, often referred to as Wetherspoon, Wetherspoons or even just ‘Spoons’, was founded as a company in 1979 in Watford. As well as operating the Lloyds No. 1 bars and Wetherspoons hotels, the company has around 900 pubs located in cities and towns throughout the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man, as well as in Spain from 2026 onwards.
Known for converting premises that don’t immediately scream being the kind of place you’d put a bar, such as former banks or closed-down cinemas, the brand tries to ingratiate itself with locals by engaging with the history of nearby areas. The first pub was opened in Muswell Hill, whilst the name of the company comes from one of Martin’s former teachers. In 2002, Martin conducted an interview with the Guardian in which he railed against the possible introduced of the Euro, later supporting the campaign to leave the European Union and also furloughing staff during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The New Venue in Guildford
Never shy of opting to do the unusual, Tim Martin’s firm of pubs now looks to be opening the ‘first of its kind’ pub on a university campus. It has been announced by the University of Surrey that the final touches are being put on a plan to open a Wetherspoon establishment on the Stag Hill campus, which will be owned and operated directly by the university. Based in the original Wates House building, which was a pub that closed in the December of 2025 for ‘refurbishment and rebranding’, it will be named the ‘Sir Ronald Wates’. The timescale is such that the new pub will open in May of this year, serving pints to students from then on.
It won’t be the first Wetherspoon pub in the town, however. The Rodboro Buildings on Bridge Street opened in 1998 and has continued to serve the Guildford community ever since. That is in the centre of Guildford, however, which means that university students have to travel in order to go for a drink or a bite to eat there. The Guildford School of Acting is based on the Stag Hill campus, with students keen to enjoy the cheap food and affordable drinks that Wetherspoon has specialised in ever since the first one opened several decades ago. The Wates family has given permission for Sir Ronald’s name to be attached to the pub.
A Unique Proposition
Although there are other universities around the United Kingdom that have a Wetherspoons on campus, such as in Newcastle and Hull, what differs with them is that it is the student unions that run them, rather than the universities themselves. That is what will be unique about the Guildford establishment, in that it will be owned and operated by the University of Surrey. The uni’s Chief Operating Officer, Will Davies, has said that the aim is to give the community a ‘pub-style venue’ that promises both quality and value for money. It is also key that the university will benefit from both the ‘supply chain efficiency’ and the ‘pricing power’ of the brand.
Davies said, “Wetherspoon’s model means students can get a full breakfast for less than five pounds.” Not that it will be entirely limited to students, of course. Staff and visitors, as well as the wider Guildford community, will all be welcome to head along to the new member of the Wetherspoons brand in order to take advantage of the same benefits that will also be open to the students. The staff that had worked in the previous pub have also been retained, with full training around the Wetherspoons operational procedures being given before it is open to the public. The students themselves seem to be looking forward to it opening.
The university is pleased to be opening a Wetherspoons franchise on account of the ability to take advantage of the related supply chain and expertise, but it isn’t a one-way relationship. Speaking after the new pub’s opening was announced, the Chief Executive of Wetherspoon, John Hutson, spoke of the pleasure that the chain is taking from the situation, believing that it will ‘prove popular with students’ and be a ‘great addition for the university’. The fact that it will be the first of its kind in the United Kingdom is an obvious selling point, with Hutson and others hoping it could be the first of many such deals.