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Pubgoers sign petition as full list of Wetherspoon pubs at risk of closing down is released

Pubgoers sign petition as full list of Wetherspoon pubs at risk of closing down is released

Locals have rallied round to try and save their pub

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Gutted pubgoers have launched a petition in an attempt to stop their local pub from closing.

Wetherspoon pub Nightjar, in Ferndown, Dorset, is set to close its doors for good later this year.

The announcement comes after the pub chain said it was selling a number of its pubs after a ‘commercial decision’ as business struggled due to the higher food and energy costs across the UK.

However, JD Wetherspoon denied that the closure of the pubs this year is part of a ‘money-raising exercise’ amid difficult trading conditions. It insists ‘almost all’ of its sales are in areas where it owns another pub nearby.

Complete list of pubs affected down below

Back in June, it was announced that Wetherspoon would not be renewing the lease on the Nightjar when it came to an end in September.

A spokesperson told the Daily Echo: “We can confirm that Wetherspoon has decided not to renew the lease at The Nightjar (Ferndown) when it runs out in September. At this stage, there is no final closure date for the pub.

Locals have launched a petition to keep the pub open.
Facebook/Spotted Ferndown

“The company will be offering jobs to all staff, in the surrounding Wetherspoon pubs.”

However, locals have since rallied around in an attempt to stop the pub’s closure and have launched a petition to Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin, which has so far gained more than 600 signatures.

Linda Polley, who set up the petition, told the Daily Echo: “We go there quite a lot and people are really friendly there. You gel with people, everybody says hello to each other.

“We have a couple of meals there a week and we love the atmosphere.

“Since starting the petition, we have been speaking with a lot of people and they are all devastated about it.”

Wetherspoon spokesperson Eddie Gershon said: “We understand the disappointment of customers and the local community, regarding the Nightjar, which is operated by Wetherspoon under a lease. We are very grateful for their custom over the last 24 years.

The Nightjar is set to close later this year.
Facebook/Spotted Ferndown

“All that we can really say is that we have a number of pubs in the general area, albeit not as convenient for Ferndown locals.

“Our closest pubs are the Man in the Wall, in Wimborne and the Blackwater Stream in Broadstone. We also have two pubs in central Bournemouth. We hope that some of our customers will be able to visit us there.”

Here's a list of the pubs said to be under offer:


  1. Asparagus - Battersea
  2. General Sir Redvers Buller - Crediton
  3. Millers Well - East Ham
  4. The Bankers Draft - Eltham
  5. Hudson Bay - Forest Gate
  6. Capitol - Forest Hill
  7. The Saltoun Inn - Fraserburgh
  8. The Percy Shaw - Halifax
  9. Coronet - Holloway
  10. The Alfred Herring - Palmers Green
  11. The Cross Keys - Peebles
  12. Foxley Hatch - Purley
  13. The Butlers Bell - Stafford
  14. The Widow Frost - Mansfield


The pubs said to be 'available' for sale:


  1. Lord Arthur Lee - Fareham
  2. Plough & Harrow - Hammersmith
  3. Jolly Sailor - Hanham
  4. World's Inn - Romford
  5. Sennockian - Sevenoaks
  6. Former Tusk Nightclub & Waverly Tea Rooms - Watford
  7. Wrong ‘Un - Bexleyheath
  8. Moon on the Hill, Harrow
The chain has announced more than 20 closures.
Pexels/Elevate

The pubs that have been sold:

  1. The John Masefield, New Ferry
  2. Angel, Islington
  3. The Silkstone Inn, Barnsley
  4. The Billiard Hall, West Bromwich
  5. Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis, Southampton
  6. The Colombia Press, Watford
  7. The Malthouse, Willenhall
  8. The John Masefield, New Ferry
  9. Thomas Leaper, Derby
  10. Cliftonville, Hove
  11. Tollgate, Harringay
  12. Last Post, Loughton
  13. Harvest Moon, Orpington
  14. Alexander Bain, Wick
  15. Chapel an Gansblydhen, Bodmin
  16. Moon on the Square, Basildon
  17. Coal Orchard, Taunton
  18. Running Horse, Airside Doncaster Airport
  19. Wild Rose, Bootle
  20. Edmund Halley, Lee Green
  21. The Willow Grove, Southport
  22. Postal Order, Worcester
  23. North and South Wales Bank, Wrexham
  24. The Sir John Stirling Maxwell, Glasgow
  25. The Knight's Templar, London
  26. Christopher Creeke, Bournemouth
  27. The Water House, Durham
  28. The Worlds Inn, Romford

A spokesperson for Wetherspoon told LADbible: "Wetherspoon put pubs up for sale around nine months ago and the 22 are those which have not yet been sold and continue to operate as Wetherspoon pubs."

Featured Image Credit: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images/Pixabay

Topics: Food And Drink, UK News, Wetherspoons

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]