Swan Hotel (JD Wetherspoon), Leighton Buzzard

A recent 'spoons opening with hotel rooms and a reception on the floors above the ground floor pub.The exterior is impressive with stairs up to a portico and large front door with brass shining.Inside there are a lot of original features,fireplace ,cornicing,sash windows but both to the left and right of the entrance the corporate (over bright) carpet ,ranks of dining tables with a sea of menus lowers the tone significantly. As you walk through this morass you start to wonder if there is a bar at all,but this lines one side at the rear of the building and is kitted out with traditional wood panneling, and opposite some olde worlde style furniture and a few original tables.I found this section close to the bar the best place to drink and get away from the diners. There were two ranks of five handpumps but each set had Abbott and Ruddles Bitter ,and with two other handpumps serving cider,that left just four festival ales on day 1 of the Spring Beer Fest,which I thought was poor ,amplified by finding that three of the festival ales were identical in style. There is an interesting courtyard accessable from one side of the pub and popular on a balmy evening. JDW have done well here to save a crumbling ruin and breathe new life into this listed building.But for me ,this isnt a 'spoons which will act as a show case for real ale,food seems to be the priority.

Now Open as a J D Wetherspoon

At the moment it is closed for a major re-furb and will re open as a Wetherspoon's in about 3-4 months.