Scots Wetherspoons that was once cinema and music venue crowned among best in UK

A historic Edinburgh Wetherspoon pub that was once a cinema and a music venue has been named one of the best in the UK.

There are countless Wetherspoons venues across Scotland that offer affordable food and drink in unique spaces. Each pub has its own character, and everyone has their own favourite.

However, a new study conducted by experts at Q.R. Code Generator has revealed which Wetherspoon locations are the top-rated in the nation. According to the research, which looked at the total percentage of ‘excellent’ reviews on Google Reviews for each one, The Caley Picture House in Edinburgh comes in at number three.

With 57.83 per cent of its reviews being excellent, The Caley Picture House is popular amongst punters for its unique setting inside one of Edinburgh’s most beautiful buildings. First opened in 2016, the pub features cinematic interiors — with movie-style seating and a huge screen backdrop behind the main bar.

Journeying back in time, the original Caley Picture House first opened in 1923. The 900-capacity venue made its debut with a screening of the silent movie The Game of Life.

Jumping ahead a few years, the Caley Picture House was refurbished to up its capacity to 1,900 — thanks to the rising popularity of cinema as a medium. The venue went on to enjoy decades of success, and even became the first Edinburgh cinema to display movies in widescreen, but it eventually closed its doors in 1984 after dwindling ticket sales.

That wasn’t the end for the Caley Picture House, though, as only two years later it rebranded as a dance and music venue that was known by locals as the Caley Palais. Queen, Pink Floyd, and AC/DC were just some of the music legends that took to the stage at the Caley Palais over the years.

Eventually, the venue closed its doors for good in 2014. Shortly after this, it was bought by JD Wetherspoon and the rest is history.

The top ten best rated Wetherspoons in the UK

1. The Bishop Blaize, Old Trafford
2. Royal Victoria Pavilion, Ramsgate, Kent
3. The Caley Picture House, Edinburgh
4. The Greenwood Hotel, Northolt
5. Stick or Twist, Leeds
6. The Golden Beam, Leeds
7. The William Adams, Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk
8. The Prense Well, Merseyside
9. The Velvet Coaster, Blackpool, Lancashire
10. The Buck Inn, North Yorkshire

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