There are plenty of enthusiastic Wetherspoon regulars who have made ‘collecting’ our pubs an enjoyable hobby. A Wetherspoon ‘collection’ of a very specific (and unusual) kind has recently come to our attention, with press coverage also gathering momentum.
The subject – Wetherspoon’s carpets!
An online blog (wetherspoonscarpets.tumblr.com) asks customers visiting our pubs across the UK to photograph and upload images of our colourful and varied floor-coverings.
It asks the question: “Are any two the same?” The collective quest to find out is proving quite popular – and the man behind the mission is writer and publisher Kit Caless.
The Bright Water Inn - photograph from wetherspoonscarpets.tumblr.com
Speaking to the Press Association, Kit said: “I read this book by a friend of mine, Will Wiles, The Way Inn; in that novel, the main character visits the same hotel chain everywhere he goes.
“In each hotel, there’s a piece of art outside the lift, and he finally figures out that the art all matches up into one big, massive art piece.
“I was reading that book while I was in a Wetherspoon pub in Canterbury, and I finished it and I just looked down at the carpet and it was really complicated. I wondered whether the carpet matched another Wetherspoon one.
“Then, I got really interested, because, for a corporate chain to not repeat itself is a really rare thing. So, I started looking into it – and it just sort of snowballed.”
The Bankers Draft - photograph from wetherspoonscarpets.tumblr.com
Jon Randall, Wetherspoon’s head of property development and acquisitions, said: “We place particular emphasis on the design of our new pubs, investing heavily in every aspect, as well as in the refurbishment of our older premises.
“With more than 900 pubs, that is a lot of carpet. All of our new pub carpets are individually designed, some with details to reflect aspects of the buildings’ history or local area.
”It is great to see some of our customers, who are obviously loyal fans, taking an active interest with this unusual online collection.”
The Sun, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Buzzfeed and The Metro have all written articles about Kit’s project and the world of Wetherspoon carpets.
As to whether there are two carpets the same, or not, the quest continues…