The William Stead Wetherspoon in Darlington closed for refurb

The pub, which first opened on Crown Street in August 2006, closed on Monday (November 4) for nine days while a revamp is carried out.

Drinkers at the busy watering hole will find the beer garden refurbished with new flooring, and drink dispensing equipment on the bar upgraded when it reopens on Wednesday, November 14.

Heating, ventilation and air-con systems are also being updated and new flooring put in in the beer garden.

The upgrades will cost £470k in total.

Wetherspoon first opened The William Stead in 2006. (Image: JOSHUA NICHOL)

Further work is being done in the kitchen, Wetherspoon confirmed, which will be closed for a further nine days until November 22.

It will see a new roof, walls, and flooring will be installed, as well as a new walk-in fridge/freezer.

Pub manager Jonathan Carney said: “The £470,000 investment highlights Wetherspoon’s commitment to the pub and its staff and customers, as well as to the local area itself.

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“Myself and my team are looking forward to welcoming customers back into The William Stead and also welcome the upgraded pub facilities.”

The pub is named after William Stead who became the Echo's second editor aged just 22 in 1871. He kept the job until 1880 when he joined London's Pall Mall Gazette.

William Stead.

He died on the Titanic when it sank crossing the Atlantic in 1912.

The Tanners Hall Wetherspoon on Skinnergate remains open.