The popular pub chain is opening 12 new pubs across the country in the next few months
18:31, 27 Aug 2026Updated 18:36, 27 Aug 2026
JD Wetherspoon fans in London have two new pubs to look forward to, with the chain set to open venues near Charing Cross Station and in Piccadilly as part of a wider push to grow its presence across the capital.
The Benjamin Franklin will be situated in Charing Cross, on The Strand right next to the major Tube and National Rail station. The pub has been a long time coming – Westminster City Council originally turned down the plans in April 2024, but Wetherspoon took the fight to the Planning Inspectorate and won.
The council’s Licensing Committee has since granted the chain a licence to open the doors, with the pub able to stay open until 11.30pm Monday to Thursday, midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and 10.30pm on Sundays.
The venue will hold up to 320 customers and will run as a traditional JD Wetherspoon pub – so no live music or entertainment. Customers will enter and exit from the Charing Cross Station forecourt, and there will be no outdoor seating.
The Benjamin Franklin is set to open to the public on Tuesday, November 24, just in time for the run-up to Christmas.
Opening even sooner is another brand-new JD Wetherspoon pub in Piccadilly. Piccadilly Hall will open to the public on Tuesday, October 13.
The two new London openings are among 12 new Wetherspoon pubs launching across the UK before the end of November, which also include UK airports, Hull, Crewe and Bedford.
The expansion comes at a challenging time for the chain, as Wetherspoon reported sales growth of just 4 per cent in the three months to July 19 compared with the same period last year. Chairman Tim Martin has warned that profits are likely to fall below expectations due to higher costs in food, labour, energy, repairs and business rates.
The company is also facing around £60 million in extra costs linked to wage increases and National Insurance contributions. Even so, the chain – which currently runs 793 managed pubs and 23 franchise sites across the UK – is clearly not showing and signs of slowing down.
Full list of new JD Wetherspoon pub openings
- Home Farm, Hessle Opening Wed August 12 Ferriby Rd, Hull, Hessle
- The Marshfield Bank Farm House, Crewe opening Tue September 1 Coppenhall Lane, Woolstanwood, Crewe
- The Red Gown, St Andrews University opening Fri September 4 Students’ Association, St Andrew University
- The Heath Hotel, Southampton opening Tue September 8 Beaulieu Road, Dibden Purlieu, Southampton
- The Belle Vue, Manchester Airport opening Tue September 8 Terminal 2 (Airside)
- The Cranborne Hundred, Ferndown opening Wed September 16 Ringwood Road, Ferndown
- The Fletton Brick, Bedford opening Tue September 29 Marsh Leys Cottages, Kempston
- Piccadilly Hall, Piccadilly opening Tue October 13 The Trocadero, 30 Shaftesbury Avenue, London
- Sant Jordi, Barcelona Airport opening November Terminal 1 (Airside – Schengen Area)
- The William Chambers, Edinburgh opening Tue November 3 30a Chambers Street, EH1 1HU
- The Benjamin Franklin, Charing Cross opening Tue November 24 11 Strand, London
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