Wetherspoon to shut historic pub that 'feels like home' for the final time next month

will be closing one of its belovedpubs next month in a blow to locals.

The announced that the boozer in Leith, Edinburgh had been put up for sale in January and would continue trading until a deal was made. However, Spoons has now confirmed that the "Foot of the Walk" branch will be closing for good on Sunday, November 3. This means locals only have three weeks left to enjoy the pub before it changes hands to new owners. It has not been confirmed who will be taking over the chain or whether it will remain as a pub.

On the closure, a Wetherspoon spokesperson said: “We would like to thank our staff and customers for their loyalty to the pub over many years. Wetherspoon does, on occasion, sell pubs, and this is the situation here.” The pub chain told EdinburghLive that staff have offered jobs in alternative Wetherspoon pubs or the opportunity to be transferred to the new owners.

The Spoons pub is named after its location at the end of Leith Walk and the road was built against Oliver Cromwell’s army. The premises first opened in January 1912 as The Palace cinema. This particular chain - based at 183 Constitution Street - is a favourite amongst the locals, and a petition was even launched earlier this year to try and save it.

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The petition was launched on Change.org in January by a local resident of Leith called Mark Harrington. The goal was to "preserve the " pub as it was "more than just a place to enjoy a pint. The petition wrote: "As a local resident of Leith, Edinburgh, I have cherished memories and experiences at Wetherspoon Foot of the Walk. This pub is more than just a place to enjoy a pint; it's where we meet friends and family, share stories, and feel part of our community. It offers reasonably priced drinks and food in an atmosphere that feels like home to many locals."

The petition said residents of Leith couldn't "stand by" as the community "loses its character piece by piece." Sadly, the petition only reached 300 signatures out of its aim of 500. The pub chain revealed this month that it had 17 pubs up for sale at the moment after having sold 18 in the year leading to July, terminated the lease on a further nine and opened two brand new sites.

Wetherspoon, which has around 800 pubs across the UK, regularly reviews the branches it has up for sale and has often taken venues off the market to continue operating as part of the pub chain. So if a site is put up for sale, it's not a guarantee it will close.

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