It was William Rufus, son of William the Conqueror, who restored Carlisle to the English kingdom. Rufus entered the city through Botchergate. The long-demolished gateway has given its name to today's street - Botchergate.

J D Wetherspoon was founded in 1979, when Tim (now our groovy chairman) opened his first pub in north London. We now have over 860 free houses across the UK, stretching as far north as Wick to as far south as Penzance.

Our pubs are housed in a variety of buildings, some of which had previously been churches, department stores, theatres and even a fire engine factory! We’re also in a lot of airports and train stations across the land – perfect when you are on the move.

We’re open from 8am (some even earlier!) for breakfast and serve Italy’s favourite coffee – Lavazza. Our full menu is available until 10pm every evening, with our famous Curry Club on a Thursday night, where thousands join us for a great curry and a drink, for an even greater price. We also have Steak Club on a Tuesday and Sunday Club on, well a Sunday so it's the perfect excuse to visit us!

Our drinks range is constantly evolving – we’ve just introduced new drinks, including Bacardi 8-year Rum and Cazadores Reposado Tequila. We also have all of the ‘big names’, such as Absolut, Smirnoff, Budweiser and Guinness.

Real ale is something with which we’re very proud to be associated. In every pub, we always have a range of ales to choose from, sourcing guest ales from over 600 local breweries every year. We have two annual beer festivals, along with lots of local pub events, across Britain. Over 200 of our pubs are featured in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide – something we’re very proud of.