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Inside Scotland's biggest Wetherspoons with 74 taps and breathtaking surroundings

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Inside Scotland's biggest Wetherspoons with 74 taps and breathtaking surroundings
Inside Scotland's biggest Wetherspoons with 74 taps and breathtaking surroundings

SCOTLAND'S biggest Wetherspoons has been revealed - and it's set in a jaw-dropping venue.

Located in Edinburgh, The Caley Picture House boasts 6,378 sq ft of drinking space and has a capacity of 780 including staff.

Caley Picture House is home to Scotland's biggest Wetherspoons qhiquqidekidzqprw
Caley Picture House is home to Scotland's biggest WetherspoonsCredit: Michael Schofield
The pub retains many of the cinema's original features
The pub retains many of the cinema's original featuresCredit: Pippa Hudson
The decor and surroundings have gained rave reviews
The decor and surroundings have gained rave reviewsCredit: Pippa Hudson
The pub was also once a music venue
The pub was also once a music venueCredit: Pippa Hudson

The Lothian Road bar has 74 taps on the bar offering a selection of beer, wine, ale and cider, and 134 tables for punters.

But the pub was once a cinema which seated 1,500 people on any given night.

And to this day it still stuns customers who can enjoy a cheap pint while looking at the magnificent original architecture - with navy and gold decor looking like a scene straight out of The Great Gatsby.

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The original Caley Picture House opened in 1923 with Game of Life – a silent film.

The building had once been part of a hotel, before being converted into a cinema.

In 1928, it was enlarged for the new ‘talkies’ before being used as a nightclub and a live music venue.

It hosted bands including Idlewild, The Cult, REM and Runrig before closing on Hogmanay 2013, eventually becoming a Wetherspoons three years later.

The pub has since earned itself gushing reviews on TripAdvisor for its original architectural features and decor.

One said: "I could look at the backdrop forever, ye olde cinema."

Another wrote: "A great place to eat and drink in the centre of Edinburgh. An old picture house with lots of the original characteristics preserved from its previous life as a cinema."

A third added: "What a wonderful interior which took me back to the 60s as a child going to see The Great Escape, Zulu, Clint Eastwood films with my uncle."

Meanwhile, a fourth said: "I am so impressed by this Wetherspoons, they have managed to extend the life and breathe new meaning into it of an amazing building, so decorative.

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"Love its layout, how it's furnished, even the staff seem happy."

It comes as the world's biggest Spoons was revealed - and it is situated right on the beach.

The Royal Victoria Pavilion in Ramsgate, Kent, was opened by HRH Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll in 2017.

The Grade II listed building is a former dilapidated pavilion and had been one of the most at-risk Victorian/Edwardian buildings in the land.

It boasts 11,000 square feet of drinking space – including a huge terrace over the beach – and holds 1,500 punters, making it the biggest pub in Europe.

Katy Pagan

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