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Wetherspoons confirms it will close another pub – and it’s bad news for couples

WETHERSPOONS has confirmed another one of its pubs will shut for good as dozens more remain at risk of closure.

The pub chain told The Sun that another one of its sites will permanently close today (Saturday, March 18).

The Knights Templar Wetherspoons in London will close today
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The Knights Templar Wetherspoons in London will close todayCredit: Alamy

The Knights Templar in Chancery Lane, London, will shut its doors for the final time this evening.

Wetherspoons said it wouldn't comment when The Sun asked if the site had been sold.

It's bad news for booze-loving couples as the branch was the only Wetherspoons licensed to carry out weddings.

For £3,000, couples could celebrate their big day with a three-course meal for 100 guests, sparkling wine, table decorations, and a live DJ.

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The pub - a converted banking hall - has two floors and a balcony, while the inner walls are clad in stylish mahogany panels with ornate marble pillars holding up the roof.

But the swanky boozer isn't the only Wetherspoons we'll be losing forever, as another 13 pubs are currently under offer.

This means that a buyer has presented an offer that is being considered by the seller.

It doesn't mean that the sale is guaranteed, and it could still remain open if it doesn't complete.

The pub chain initially announced plans to close 32 pubs back in September, before announcing further closures in November.

The news came as Wetherspoon revealed its sales are still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels.

Spoons boss Tim Martin said far more people now drink in their homes rather than in pubs.

Venues have also hiked beer and grub prices by up to 7.5 per cent, The Sun exclusively revealed in February.

Wetherspoons pubs in major towns and cities such as LondonBarnsley and Southampton are already up for sale, and several have already closed.

While The Sir John Stirling Maxwell in Glasgow will close on March 26, as previously reported by The Sun.

The hospitality chain runs 844 pubs in the UK and Ireland and employs up to 43,000 people.

Below is a full list of pubs that are currently under offer but each venue is currently still open for business:

  • The Butlers Bell, Stafford
  • The Percy Shaw, Halifax
  • Foxley Hatch, Purley
  • Tollgate, Turnpike Lane
  • Asparagus, Battersea
  • Millers Well, East Ham
  • Hudson Bay, Forest Gate
  • Angel, Islington
  • The Billiard Hall, West Bromwich
  • Capitol, Forest Hill
  • The Bankers Draft, Eltham
  • Moon on the Hill, Harrow
  • Last Post, Loughton

Pubs have been knocked by rising costs as inflation sends prices soaring and less demand among cash-strapped punters.

Pub giant Stonegate, which is behind brands such as Slug and Lettuce and Be At One, is also looking to sell off pubs.

Marston's Brewery has put 61 pubs up for sale following a review of its estate.

Revolution revealed it will be shutting some of its bars on Mondays and Tuesdays to help cut energy costs.

Around 4,500 pubs in the UK are considering reducing trading hours over winter, according to the British Beer and Pub Association.

Here is the full list of 32 Wetherspoons pubs that are still up for sale and at risk of closing:

  • The Butlers Bell, Stafford
  • The Percy Shaw, Halifax
  • Foxley Hatch, Purley
  • Tollgate, Turnpike Lane
  • Asparagus, Battersea
  • Millers Well, East Ham
  • Hudson Bay, Forest Gate
  • Angel, Islington
  • The Billiard Hall, West Bromwich
  • Capitol, Forest Hill
  • The Bankers Draft, Eltham
  • Moon on the Hill, Harrow
  • Last Post, Loughton
  • Worlds Inn, Romford
  • Silkstone Inn, Barnsley
  • Wrong ‘Un, Bexleyheath
  • Jolly Sailor, Hanham
  • The Alfred Herring, Palmers Green
  • The Moon & Bell, Loughborough
  • The Widow Frost, Mansfield
  • Foxley Hatch, Purley
  • The Rising Sun, Redditch
  • Sennockian, Sevenoaks
  • Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis, Southampton
  • The Malthouse, Willenhall
  • The John Masefield, New Ferry
  • The Crosse Keys, Peebles
  • Lord Arthur Lee, Fareham
  • The Saltoun Inn, Fraserburgh
  • General Sir Redvers Buller, Crediton
  • Plough & Harrow, Hammersmith
  • The Bank House, Cheltenham

While 14 Wetherspoons pubs have already been sold and closed their doors for good - see the list below:

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  • Harvest Moon, Orpington
  • Alexander Bain, Wick
  • Chapel an Gansblydhen, Bodmin
  • Moon on the Square, Basildon
  • Coal Orchard, Taunton
  • Running Horse, Airside Doncaster Airport
  • Wild Rose, Bootle
  • Edmund Halley, Lee Green
  • The Willow Grove, Southport
  • Postal Order, Worcester
  • North and South Wales Bank, Wrexham
  • The Colombia Press, Watford
  • Thomas Leaper, Derby
  • Cliftonville, Hove

Meanwhile, a Wetherspoons worker has revealed the dishes you should avoid and the bizarre way we cooked eggs.

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