Edinburgh pubs: Opening of new city centre Wetherspoons delayed for second time
The opening of the pub has been delayed until the new year.
The opening date of a huge new Wetherspoons on Chambers Street has been pushed back for the second time, with customers having to wait another three months for the doors to open.
The William Chambers will now open at the former Revolution Bar at 30a Chambers Street on Tuesday, January 26 next year.
It was originally set to open in July, in time for the Edinburgh festivals, but was delayed until Tuesday, November 3.
The venue includes a licensed outside area and will open from 8am daily, with alcohol served until 1am Monday to Sunday.
The pub is named after William Chambers, a famous publisher and politician who served as the Lord Provost of Edinburgh between 1865 and 1869.
During his tenure, he oversaw the passage of the 1867 Improvement Act, aimed at clearing and redeveloping slums in Edinburgh’s Old Town.
He was also responsible for the refurbishment of Edinburgh’s St Giles Cathedral to its pre-Reformation glory.
When he initially moved to Edinburgh from Peebles, William became an apprentice bookseller and opened his own bookshop and print in 1819.
He later founded the publishing house W&R Chambers with his brother Robert and in 1832 they launched the weekly Chambers’ Edinburgh Journal.
Revolution, which shut its doors in August 2024, was a two-storey venue with the capacity to accommodate up to 600 revellers.
Planning papers say the venue will be “completely refigured” to create a “traditional JD Wetherspoon style of operation”.
There are currently seven Wetherspoons pubs in Edinburgh: The Caley Picture House on Lothian Road, The Standing Order and The Alexander Graham Bell on George Street, The Booking Office on Waverley Bridge, The White Lady on St John's Road, The Playfair at Omni Centre and The Sir Walter Scott at Edinburgh Airport.