Oldest JD Wetherspoon pub to hit market
The Rochester Castle in Stoke Newington, northwest London became a JDW site in 1982, three years after the company was found by Tim Martin, reported The Hackney Gazette.
The earliest known pub on the site was the Green Dragon, known to have existed in 1702.
The Rochester Castle then replaced that pub in 1801, named after the person who built it, Richard Payne, who was from Rochester.
Speaking to The Morning Advertiser, JDW spokesperson Eddie Gershon said: “When JDW does on occasion put some pubs up for sale, it’s always a commercial decision, and that’s what’s happened here.”
Gershon said the pub on Stoke Newington high street is “popular” and “very busy”.
Commercial decision
He added: “We know customers and staff will be surprised and disappointed with the decision, but JDW does make commercial decisions and sometimes sells pubs.”
He said the pub will continue to trade as normal until it is sold.
All staff have been briefed on the situation and nobody will lose their job due to the sale of the site, said Gershon.
If The Rochester Castle is sold to a pub company, employees will likely be able to keep their jobs at the pub, or they will be offered jobs at nearby JDW sites.
Continued trade
While the majority of JDW sites put up for sales are sold, some are not. While the pub will hit the market, Gershon said there was no timeframe for how long it might remain open.
“It will remain open, unless, or until, it’s sold,” he said.
He could not confirm when the pub would come to the market.
In 2022, JDW appointed property agents to sell 32 of its pubs, and in 2023, the pub chain confirmed another 11 of its pubs would hit the market.
