Thursday 29 September 2022 04:56 PM How the taps will turn off at the buildings which found a new life when they ... trends now
Many of JD Wetherspoon's pubs are often set in interesting and historic buildings that have been transformed in a way that retains their unique character.
Old post offices, cinemas, banks and ballrooms often lay empty for years before Tim Martin and his Wetherspoon team came along and saved them from destruction, instead restoring them to preserve their architectural glory.
Tim Martin wrote on the Wetherspoon website: 'We take immense pride in the restoration and refurbishment of wonderful buildings into Wetherspoon pubs. We feel that it is right to celebrate the history of the buildings.'
With news that the company has decided to sell off 32 of its pubs in England, punters will hope that anyone taking on one of the sites will continue the company's legacy.
Of course, some of Wetherspoon's most iconic buildings are listed and enjoy protection from drastic changes.
This includes the Capitol in Forest Hill, south east London, which is among those listed for sale by the company.
An old cinema and bingo hall restored by Wetherspoons
Grand and historic: The Capitol, in Forest Hill, London, (pictured) is the only listed building to go up for sale out of the 32
A piece of protected history: The Capitol, pictured in 1946, is the only listed building to go up for sale by JD Wetherspoon
The Capitol retains the first-floor circle from when it was a cinema in the 1920s to the 1970s and it is currently used for storage
There were plans to convert and even demolish the building. However, The Capitol opened as a bingo hall in February 1978, closing in the first week of December 1996. During its bingo hall phase, it was designated as a Grade II-listed building - and became the pub in May 2001
Historic: Renamed the ABC in 1968, the cinema (pictured) gave its last picture show in October 1973. The building was described in the 1990s by the then Department of National Heritage as 'a rare survival of a complete 1920s' cinema'
The Capitol started life as a cinema and first opened its doors to the public in 1929 with a screening of a silent movie called Man, Woman and Sin.
The cinema was renamed the ABC in 1968 before closing in October 1973 and facing demolition.
According to Ken George, author of 'The Big 5: Lewisham Super Cinemas', the building was designed in a Neo-Classical style by noted cinema architect John Beard and reflected an Egyptian influence, a style popular at the time following the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922.
But fortunately, the building was saved from such plans and was, instead, used as a bingo hall from February 1978 until the first week of December 1996.
The building was transformed into a pub and opened as Wetherspoon in May 2001
At 14,123 sq ft, the Grade II listed building is one of the largest to go up for sale, with a huge open plan seating area overlooked by the original theatre circle on the first floor, which is now used as staff rooms and storage.
Former malthouse converted into a unique pub
The Capitol isn't the only former cinema getting the axe by Wetherspoon as The Malthouse in Willenhall which predates the grand London venue, is also among those for sale.
The pub is built on the site of an original malthouse belonging to the Hincks family who lived in nearby Dale House.
Pictured: The Malthouse in Willenhall was once a cinema known as the Coliseum before it became the Dale in 1932
The Malthouse in Willenhall operated as a cinema until 1967 when it was converted into a bingo hall similar to the Capitol
The malthouse was later converted to the Coliseum - the first cinema on the site which opened in 1914, on the eve of the First World War.
The building was much smaller than the Capitol, with historians claiming it was so cramped that part of the film overlapped onto the ceiling.
It was eventually bought by a local councillor in 1932 and was replaced with a new cinema called the Dale, with seating for an audience of more than 1,000 people.
The Dale opened its doors in 1932, showing the Technicolor sound film Viennese Nights and the building continued to operate as a cinema until 1967, when it followed a similar fate to the Forest Hill cinema and also became a bingo hall.
Unlike the Capitol, there is no grand upper circle that reflects its past as a cinema but it retains the high curved ceilings and some other original features that make it one of the more unique places to grab a pint.
Another historic building going up for sale is the Banker's Draft in Eltham, London, set in a former bank which dates back to 1836 when it belonged to the Bank of Liverpool.
Bankers Draft, Eltham, which is for sale, is thought to be the smallest 'Spoons in the UK and the oldest in south east London
In this historic picture of Eltham, Martin's Bank is just visible on the right and is now the site of Bankers Draft Wetherspoons
With an area of 2,354 sq ft, it is reportedly the smallest Wetherspoon pub in the country and, according to the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), is popular with lone drinkers during the day.
Meanwhile, in Harringey, the Toll Gate pub sits near the site of the old Hornsey toll gate - often associated with the famous highwayman Dick Turpin.
Located in what is now known as Turnpike Lane, the pub is just down the road from the famous toll gate, built in 1765, where High Road met Green Lanes.
Offices for a city's
