The Counting House

The Counting House is a J D Wetherspoon pub located at 67–71 Reform Street in Dundee, Scotland. It is one of the many pubs operated by J D Wetherspoon plc, the British pub company founded by Tim Martin in 1979 and listed on the London Stock Exchange. The pub occupies a building with a notable banking history: it first opened as a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland in 1856, was originally designed by George Angus and modified by William Scott, and was reconstructed in the 1930s by Robert Gibson, when it was described as a notable example of modern banking architecture. Customers of that era entered through a revolving door, crossed a terrazzo marble floor and were served at mahogany counters topped with bronze grilles. The building's banking past gives the pub its name, "The Counting House". As a Wetherspoon pub, The Counting House offers the chain's typical range of food and drinks, including real ales, guest beers, cocktails and pub meals, with a menu that changes seasonally. The pub participates in Wetherspoon's twice-yearly real-ale festivals and seasonal menus such as the Christmas menu and the spritz cocktail range. It opens early in the morning and closes at midnight or 1:00 am depending on the day, and children under 18 are only allowed on the premises between 8:00 am and 10:00 pm. Facilities include Wi-Fi, TV screens, a licensed outside area, baby-changing facilities and step-free access. Customers can order food and drinks to their table using the Wetherspoon app. The Counting House is part of the wider J D Wetherspoon estate, which began with a single pub in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1979. The company grew through the 1980s and 1990s, pioneered non-smoking areas before the 2007 smoking ban, launched its first real-ale festival in 1990, and floated on the Stock Exchange in 1992. Today Wetherspoon operates hundreds of pubs across the United Kingdom and Ireland, including airport and station locations, and The Counting House is one of its Scottish outlets. The pub's interior displays local historical material, including prints and text about Dundee's publishing heritage, such as DC Thomson and Co., the publisher of The Courier, The Sunday Post and The Beano.

The Counting House is a pub in Dundee, Scotland, operated by J D Wetherspoon plc. Its building at 67–71 Reform Street was originally a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland, which first opened there as a bank in 1856. The building was designed by George Angus and later modified by William Scott. In the 1930s it was reconstructed by Robert Gibson and was described at the time as a notable example of modern banking architecture. Customers entered the reconstructed bank through a revolving door, walked across a terrazzo marble floor and were served at mahogany counters topped with bronze grilles. The pub's name, The Counting House, reflects this banking heritage. The pub is part of the J D Wetherspoon estate. Wetherspoon's history began in 1979, when the first pub – purchased from an entrepreneur who had converted it from a bookmaker's – opened on Colney Hatch Lane in Muswell Hill, north London, on 9 December. It was initially called Martin's Free House for the first month before being renamed Wetherspoons in early 1980. In the early years the company's pubs were all in north London, with the head office above The Dog in Archway. In 1990 Wetherspoon's pubs hosted their first real-ale festival, lasting four days and featuring six beers; the festivals later became twice-yearly events with up to 50 beers each, including overseas brews. In 1991 the company opened The Tally Ho in North Finchley with a dedicated non-smoking bar upstairs, one of several pioneering initiatives before the smoking ban of July 2007. That same year it launched the CBS (Cleanliness, Beer, Service) scheme and published the first edition of Wetherspoon News, and it opened Hamilton Hall at Liverpool Street station, its first central London and station pub. In 1992 Wetherspoon opened its first airport pubs at Heathrow Terminal 4 and floated on the Stock Exchange as J D Wetherspoon plc, with shares issued at £1.60. As a Wetherspoon pub, The Counting House follows the chain's format: a large, value-oriented pub serving food and drink throughout the day, with a menu that includes real ales, guest beers, craft cans, cocktails and seasonal dishes. The pub takes part in Wetherspoon's twice-yearly beer festivals and seasonal promotions such as the Christmas menu and the spritz cocktail range. It opens at 8:00 am daily and closes at midnight Sunday to Thursday and at 1:00 am on Friday and Saturday. Children under 18 are only permitted on the premises between 8:00 am and 10:00 pm. Facilities include Wi-Fi, TV screens, a licensed outside area, baby-changing facilities and step-free access, and customers can order to their table via the Wetherspoon app. The pub's interior features prints and text about local history, including Dundee's role as home to DC Thomson and Co., Scotland's biggest home-grown newspaper and magazine publisher, whose titles have included The Courier and Advertiser, The Sunday Post, The Scots Magazine, People's Friend, My Weekly, Secrets and Jackie.

• 1992

  J D Wetherspoon floats on the Stock Exchange as J D Wetherspoon plc, with shares issued at £1.60.

• 1990

  Wetherspoon's pubs host their first real-ale festival.

• 1979

  The first Wetherspoon pub opens in Muswell Hill, north London, on 9 December.

• 1930

  The bank building is reconstructed by Robert Gibson and described as a notable example of modern banking architecture.

• 1856

  The building at 67–71 Reform Street first opens as a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Value-focused community pub within the J D Wetherspoon chain, set in a historic former bank building in central Dundee.

• Real ale and guest beers

  A rotating selection of cask ales, including beers featured in Wetherspoon's twice-yearly beer festivals.

• Craft cans

  Canned craft beers with published tasting notes.

• Pub food menu

  All-day food including breakfast, burgers and traditional pub dishes.

• Spritz cocktails

  A range of nine classic and fruity spritz recipes.

• Christmas menu

  Seasonal festive dishes available from mid-November to the end of December, excluding Christmas Day.

1. 1The Counting House - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
2. 2History - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
3. 3The Counting House - J D Wetherspoon (pub history)jdwetherspoon.com
4. 4About us - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
5. 5The Counting House - Wikidatawikidata.org