The Hatter’s Inn

The Hatter’s Inn is a pub in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England, operated as part of the J D Wetherspoon chain. It trades from 2–10 Queensway, Bognor Regis, PO21 1QT, and is listed on Wetherspoon’s official pub directory with a dedicated pub-history page. The pub is a branded outlet within J D Wetherspoon plc, the large UK pub company whose pubs are known for long opening hours, value pricing, real-ale festivals and a standardised food-and-drink menu. The pub’s name is a historical reference rather than a personal surname of a founder. According to Wetherspoon’s own pub history, the site was for many years occupied by the Merchant Taylor’s Convalescent Home, which was surrounded by trees and high walls and demolished in the 1950s to make way for the new Queensway shopping area. The pub is named after Sir Richard Hotham, an 18th-century property developer who turned Bognor into a seaside resort. Hotham had been apprenticed as a hatter in London, hence the pub name “The Hatter’s Inn”. As a Wetherspoon house, The Hatter’s Inn offers the chain’s typical proposition: a broad menu of food and drinks served throughout the day, cask ales and guest beers, and participation in Wetherspoon’s twice-yearly beer festivals. The official page for the pub lists facilities including TV screens, a licensed outside area, a projector and screen, and step-free access. Opening hours run from 8:00am daily, closing at midnight Sunday to Thursday and at 1:00am on Friday and Saturday. Children under 18 are only allowed on the premises between 8:00am and 9:00pm. Customers can order food and drinks to their table via the Wetherspoon app. The Hatter’s Inn is not a standalone company; it is one of the many individual pubs in the J D Wetherspoon estate. Its identity is therefore tied to the parent brand’s operating model, promotions and seasonal menus, including the autumn beer festival, Christmas menu and cocktail ranges promoted across the Wetherspoon estate. The pub’s own page and history page are hosted on jdwetherspoon.com, and its Wikidata entry describes it simply as a pub in Bognor Regis, Arun, West Sussex, England.

The Hatter’s Inn is a pub in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England, operated by J D Wetherspoon. Its history is bound up with both the site it occupies and the parent company that runs it. The site on Queensway was, for many years, occupied by the Merchant Taylor’s Convalescent Home. According to Wetherspoon’s pub history, the home was surrounded by trees and high walls and was demolished in the 1950s to make way for the new Queensway shopping area. The pub that now stands there takes its name from Sir Richard Hotham, the 18th-century property developer credited with turning Bognor into a seaside resort. Wetherspoon’s own account of Hotham notes that he was born in York in 1722 and apprenticed as a hatter in London. He appears to have married the daughter of his employer in 1743 and set up his own hat-selling business in 1746. His business flourished; he moved to prestigious premises and became a member of the East India Company with four ships under his control. He was knighted and became an MP in 1780. His health declined, and in 1784 he came to stay in Bognor at the home of one of his ship captains. He subsequently returned and bought land. Finding Bognor earth particularly suitable for brick-making, Hotham began to build, converting a farmhouse into a ‘commodious mansion’ in 1787 — a date taken as the founding of Bognor as a resort and celebrated on 18 January. The pub’s name, The Hatter’s Inn, references Hotham’s early trade as a hatter. The Hatter’s Inn exists as one of the many individual pubs in the J D Wetherspoon estate. J D Wetherspoon plc opened its first pub in Colney Hatch Lane, Muswell Hill, north London, on 9 December 1979. For the first month it was called Martin’s Free House, but it was renamed Wetherspoons early in 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; today each Wetherspoon pub is involved in the twice-yearly beer festival, offering up to 50 beers each, 10 of which are from overseas. 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 year also saw the start of the CBS scheme (cleanliness, beer and service), the first edition of Wetherspoon News, and the opening of Hamilton Hall at Liverpool Street station — the company’s first pub in central London and at a train station. In 1992 Wetherspoon opened its first two airport pubs at Heathrow Airport, Terminal 4, and the company was floated on the Stock Exchange as J D Wetherspoon plc, with shares issued at £1.60. As part of that estate, The Hatter’s Inn operates under the Wetherspoon model: long daily opening hours, a standardised menu of food and drinks, cask ales and guest beers, and participation in chain-wide promotions such as the autumn beer festival, the Christmas menu and the spritz cocktail range. The pub’s official page lists facilities including TV screens, a licensed outside area, a projector and screen, and step-free access. It opens at 8:00am daily, closing at midnight Sunday to Thursday and at 1:00am on Friday and Saturday; children under 18 are permitted only between 8:00am and 9:00pm. Customers can order to their table using the Wetherspoon app. The pub is also recorded in Wikidata simply as a pub in Bognor Regis, Arun, West Sussex, England.

• The Merchant Taylor’s Convalescent Home, which previously occupied the site, is demolished in the 1950s to make way for the Queensway shopping area.

• J D Wetherspoon opens its first pub in Muswell Hill, north London, on 9 December 1979.

• Wetherspoon’s pubs host their first real-ale festival in 1990.

• J D Wetherspoon is floated on the Stock Exchange in 1992, becoming J D Wetherspoon plc.

A value-focused, high-volume community pub within the J D Wetherspoon estate, offering long opening hours, affordable food and drink, and regular beer festivals.

• Cask ales and guest beers

• Pub food menu (breakfast, burgers, main meals)

• Spritz cocktail range

• Christmas menu

• Autumn beer festival ales

1. 1The Hatter’s Inn - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
2. 2History - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
3. 3The Hatter’s Inn - J D Wetherspoon (pub history)jdwetherspoon.com
4. 4About us - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
5. 5The Hatter’s Inn - Wikidatawikidata.org