The Playhouse (JD Wetherspoon), Colchester

As noted below this is a theatre conversion and is quite a grand building. Having visited the Tunbridge Wells Opera House only a couple of months before I feel qualified to make the comparison. This is a bigger building and has a better layout than the Opera House with an Island Bar underneath the circle soon after you enter from St John Street. Behind that is a large open seating area in what were the stalls and some steps leading up to the stage. This buiding was completed in 1929 so has much less of a Victorian influence than the Opera House which was completed in 1902. As a building I preferred the Opera House where the Victorian decor was completely over the top. As for the clientele it was fairly typical mixed JDW, the only annoyance being a couple of mothers with screaming kids. If my mother had been like them I would certainly have been screaming. As noted there are four sets of six hand pumps on the four ends of the Island bar. There was not as much doubling up as I expected and the choice was the JDW Trio Of Doom, Hellhound Black Shuck, Saffron EPA & Flying Serpent, Nethergate Old Growler & Red Poll, Titanic Stout, Rooster's Yankee, Brentwood Lumberjack and Oakleaf Pompey Royal which had gone off. There were two available soon. By this point I had decided the time was too close to my train departure to visit any more haunts so I stopped for three. I had the Hellhound Black Shuck (£2.29), Saffron Flying Serpent (£2.45) and Brentwood Lumberjack (£2.29). The Flying Serpent was superb, the Lumberjack in more than reasonable nick but I wasn't sure about the Black Shuck. All in all this seemed a good Spoons with lots of choice.

A pleasant surprise, this JDW is a very good conversion of an old theatre into a welcoming, airy pub. The staff were amog the mosst professional and welcoming I've encountered from this chain, so well done Tim. Ten ales and ciders on draft, I had both Brains's Whiteout (at the suggestion of a particularly knowledgeable barman) and Soltaire Juniper Rye. Both were in excellent condition, although the Brains's was possibly a bit too cool. Very much worth a visit for a few beers in civilised surroundings and a definite for a town crawl.