UK’s biggest Wetherspoon pub to get huge £750,000 refurb to make it even bigger

The country’s biggest Weatherspoon pub has closed for a £750,000 renovation.

The Royal Victoria Pavilion in Ramsgate, with a capacity of up to 1,400 people, will be closed for a month after calling last orders last night.

The company took on the lease for the historic, Grade II listed building in 2017 and spent around £4.5 million to turn it into the latest outlet of the popular pub chain.

The building, designed by architect Stanley Davenport Adshead in 1903, had stood empty for nearly a decade prior to the chain taking up residence.

Prior to becoming a jewel in the Weatherspoon crown, the building had served as a nightclub and a casino until 2008 but was hit by a serious fire in 2011.

Despite investing vast sums into transforming the space, the chain are now set to plough in more money to extend the mezzanine area to fill the whole first floor and lay a bespoke carpet throughout.

It is also expected that a new customer area will be installed at the rear of the building, extending out onto the Ramsgate beachfront.

Pub manager Chris Whitbourn said: “Wetherspoon is spending £750,000 on the pub, providing further substantial investment into the area.

“Myself and my team will look forward to welcoming customers back into Royal Victoria Pavilion, in December, and we are confident that they will be impressed by the refurbishment.”

The site is often regarded as one of the best of the 800+ Wetherspoon pubs across the UK.

Earlier this year, the pub was voted as the second-best Wetherspoon, narrowly missing out on the crown to The Bishop Blaize, Manchester.

Over the last decade, the chain has grown into a much loved part of British culture, with fans enticed by its low prices and eye-catching locations.

The pub is set to be closed for up to a month before reopening its doors in early December.