The new JD Wetherspoon Pub, the Lion & Unicorn, is in the newly developed Sidings Area of Waterloo Station. It was the International section of the station when Eurostar ran from Waterloo for the period November 1994 to November 2007 before Eurostar moved to the newly restored St Pancras International station and HS1 opened between the channel tunnel and St Pancras.
London and Continental Railways (Part of Network Rail) who own and manage the Sidings area of the station have spent £800 million between March 2026 and 2022 creating a new retail area with restaurants pubs and retail outlets on two levels. It is part of the upgrade of the York Road area of the South Bank.
Wetherspoons has taken out a lease on three of the retail units on the upper ground floor level and one for their cellar on the ground floor. The three units at the upper ground floor level were formed into one large space for the new pub customer area, bar, kitchen and other back-of-house areas.
JD Wetherspoon appointed me in October 2023 to act as their Mechanical/Electrical services designer and Project Manager working with Architects Just–H of Manchester and their Project Architect Sami Kamha. The design was developed during November and December 2023 in conjunction with Landlord LCR.
We designed the air-conditioning using Mitsubishi Electric Air conditioning heat pump equipment to use the landlord’s condenser water system for heat rejection. The hot water is generated by revolutionary energy-efficient heat pump boilers that heat two indirect hot water cylinders to provide hot water for the kitchen and toilet areas.
All of the services in the customer area are exposed to the view of the customers with no ceiling, it works well from a visual perspective.
The Architect has been very clever with the lighting design and soft finishes i.e. floor covering and furniture to create a very comfortable space. All of the lighting is LED.
There is quite a lot of reference, via pictures and video screens, above the bar to the 1951 Festival of Britain which took place very close to Waterloo Station on the Embankment.
The project went on site in May this year and was completed on the 27th of August and opened on the 3rd of September. The pub is trading very well.
JD Wetherspoon is one of the major clients I am currently working for on various projects both new build sites and refurbishment sites throughout the UK including Glasgow Scotland.
