Controversial Wetherspoons founder Sir Tim Martin’s forgotten life in Nottingham

You won’t find a city in the UK without its fair share of links to famous people and Nottingham is no different. 

From actor Vicky McClure to world-renowned fashion designer Paul Smith, dozens of Nottingham natives have gone on to great things over the years. 

It’s also important to recognise the people who might not have been born here, but instead used our city as a stepping stone to go on and further themselves. 

Read more: Your Nottingham

Wetherspoons founder Sir Tim Martin has become something of a household name over recent years, despite him founding the pub chain way back in 1979. 

The 68-year-old was thrust into the limelight in 2016 for strongly supporting Brexit. 

In fact, Martin reportedly donated £200,000 to the Vote Leave campaign, supported by future prime minister Boris Johnson. 

Martin, who was recently knighted for his services to hospitality and culture, might be a famous face now, but did you know that he spent some of his younger years living in Nottingham?

Shortly before opening his first pub in London in 1979, Martin attended the University of Nottingham. 

As a student in his early 20s, Martin studied law at the UON, before moving to London to further his studies. 

It turns out that Martin’s time in Nottingham was the catalyst for launching his pub empire. 

In 2018 he told the Nottingham Post that while living in Beeston, he would visit local pubs and drink real ale. 

But after moving to London Martin found that the beer didn’t taste as good because it was made by big breweries. 

It was around this time that Martin took over the lease of a pub in Muswell Hill - the very first Wetherspoons. 

Fast forward 45 years and there are now more than 800 Wetherspoons pubs in the UK, including 15 here in Nottingham.