The Old Unicorn

The Old Unicorn is a pub in Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, operating as part of the J D Wetherspoon estate. Wetherspoon is one of the best-known pub operators in the UK and Ireland, recognised for converting large, often historic buildings into high-volume, value-focused pubs that serve food and drink throughout the day. The Old Unicorn fits this model: it is a local Wetherspoon pub listed on the company's own pub-finder pages, where customers can check facilities, opening hours and the standard Wetherspoon menu and drinks range. As a Wetherspoon house, The Old Unicorn offers the chain's typical proposition: a broad menu of pub food, breakfast, burgers, steaks, curries and classic dishes, alongside a wide selection of cask ales, craft beers, ciders, wines, spirits and soft drinks. Wetherspoon pubs are known for competitive pricing, no-music policy in many houses, and a mix of local regulars, shoppers, workers and travellers. The chain also runs twice-yearly real-ale festivals, and individual pubs such as The Old Unicorn participate by stocking guest ales, including beers from overseas brewers. The pub's parent, J D Wetherspoon plc, was founded by Tim Martin, with the first Wetherspoon pub opening in 1979 in Muswell Hill, north London. The company grew from a small north London operator into a national chain, floating on the London Stock Exchange in 1992 as J D Wetherspoon plc. It now runs hundreds of pubs and hotels across the UK and Ireland, including airport and station sites, and is known for its 'Wetherspoon News' magazine, its CBS (cleanliness, beer, service) standards scheme, and its long-running beer festivals. The Old Unicorn itself is a community-oriented Wetherspoon outlet in Leeds. Its exact opening date and building history are not established in the supplied evidence, but its identity as a Wetherspoon pub in Leeds is confirmed by the company's own website and by Wikidata, which describes it as a pub in Leeds, West Yorkshire. As with other Wetherspoon pubs, it is owned and operated by J D Wetherspoon plc and trades under the Wetherspoon brand, benefiting from central purchasing, national menu development and chain-wide promotions.

The Old Unicorn is a pub in Leeds, West Yorkshire, and forms part of the J D Wetherspoon estate. Its own history is not documented in the supplied evidence beyond its identification as a Wetherspoon pub in Leeds, but it shares the history and operating model of its parent company, J D Wetherspoon plc. J D Wetherspoon was founded by Tim Martin. The first Wetherspoon pub opened on 9 December 1979 in Colney Hatch Lane, Muswell Hill, north London, in a site purchased from an entrepreneur who had converted it from a bookmaker's shop. For its first month the pub was called Martin's Free House, before being renamed Wetherspoons in early 1980. During the early years, the company's pubs were concentrated in north London, with the head office located above The Dog in Archway. The chain expanded through the 1980s and 1990s, developing a reputation for large, value-focused pubs. In 1990 Wetherspoon held its first real-ale festival, a four-day event featuring six beers; this grew into the twice-yearly beer festivals that now involve every Wetherspoon pub and offer up to 50 beers each, including around 10 from overseas. In 1991 the company opened The Tally Ho in North Finchley, London, with a dedicated non-smoking bar upstairs, one of several pioneering initiatives introduced well before the UK smoking ban of July 2007. That same year Wetherspoon introduced its CBS (cleanliness, beer, service) scheme and published the first edition of Wetherspoon News, an eight-page black-and-white magazine distributed free to customers. It also opened Hamilton Hall at Liverpool Street station in London, its first pub in central London and at a train station. In 1992 Wetherspoon opened its first airport pubs, at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4, and the company floated on the London Stock Exchange as J D Wetherspoon plc, with shares issued at £1.60. From that base the company grew into one of the UK's largest pub operators, with hundreds of pubs and hotels across the UK and Ireland, including airport and station sites. It continued to innovate in areas such as non-smoking areas, food quality, sourcing and sustainability, and it runs national promotions and menus, including Christmas menus and seasonal drinks ranges such as spritz cocktails. The Old Unicorn operates within this national framework. As a Wetherspoon pub in Leeds, it benefits from the chain's central purchasing, standardised menu, national marketing and beer festivals, while serving its local community in West Yorkshire. The pub is listed on Wetherspoon's own website, which provides customers with location and facility information, and it is recorded on Wikidata as a pub in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

• First Wetherspoon pub opens in Colney Hatch Lane, Muswell Hill, north London, initially called Martin's Free House.

• The pub is renamed Wetherspoons early in the year.

• Wetherspoon's pubs host their first real-ale festival, a four-day event with six beers.

• The Tally Ho opens with a dedicated non-smoking bar; the CBS scheme and Wetherspoon News are launched; Hamilton Hall opens at Liverpool Street station.

• First airport pubs open at Heathrow Terminal 4; the company floats on the Stock Exchange as J D Wetherspoon plc at £1.60 per share.

• Autumn beer festival runs from 7 to 18 October 2026, featuring 30 real ales including five from international brewers.

Value-focused community pub within the J D Wetherspoon chain, offering affordable food and drink in a large, accessible format.

• Real ales and guest ales

  Cask ales offered across Wetherspoon pubs, including guest beers and twice-yearly festival ranges.

• Pub food menu

  Breakfast, burgers, steaks, curries and classic pub dishes served throughout the day.

• Spritz cocktails

  A range of nine classic and fruity spritz cocktail recipes.

• Christmas menu

  Festive food menu available from 12 November to 31 December (excluding Christmas Day).

1. 1Award-Winning Pubs & Hotels Across The UK & Ireland - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
2. 2History - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
3. 3About us - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
4. 4Awards - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
5. 5The Old Unicorn - Wikidatawikidata.org