The Buck Inn (JD Wetherspoon), Northallerton

Spoons conversion of a former coaching inn, other suitable premises (police station, hospital) having been nabbed by someone else. The main room containing the bar seems to include the wall of the coaching yard inside, with a couple of little alcoves set in. It opens out into an eating area with kitchen counter and a large tabled outdoor section beyond, equipped with shed-type booths. It all seemed very pleasant and peaceful, at least at early lunchtime. Guest ales were Black Sheep Blonde and Riggwelter, and Moorhouses Pendle Witches Brew. Quite adequate.

Very smart modern Spoons (2021), a conversion from a premises which was previously a pub. The glazed passageway reclaimed from an old driveway makes an immediate impact as you enter and is nicely decorated with golden buck sidelights and holding a couple of small discrete booths. There’s a modern extension at the rear along with a decent sized garden with a big statement buck statue in it (the only buck missing here was Uncle Buck). Three guest cask ales, my Saltaire Blonde was good (NBSS 3.5) especially given it was 11am. A very good Spoons, this one.

A Spoons take over and rebuild of an old pub, the old pub is so marginalised and so much is rebuilt that this probably counts as a new pub. The entrance is through a glass arch leading into a long thin building with the counter to the right behind where the old pub bar was, the normal style Spoons extends behind with the toilets upstairs as usual. The counter is down the right side and it appears to have reclaimed the rear of the original building along with a seating area at the very front. Mainly seated drinking areas in front of the counter and down the opposite side in the usual high / low mix. Six plus six banks of pulls with Abbott, Doombar, and Ruddles, interspersed with better beers, some sort of Celt fest seemed to have overtaken Northallerton with beers from Purple Moose, Orkney and Harviestoun on sale, a bit ironic given the Scots defeat up the road at the Battle of the Standard.