The Railway Inn (JD Wetherspoon), Rushden

This is an original pub but it has been so extended and knocked about you would barely know it from the inside. The name goes back to the days when there was a small branch line from Wellingborough to here and Higham Ferrers. It opened as a Spoons in 2011. The original pub is quite recognisable from outside and houses a long bar with a narrow area containing high tables and chairs. To the right of this is a small area with low tables, assorted chairs and unusually stools. At the back of this area is a paved balcony overlooking the lower elevated parts of Rushden town, hardly an inspiring view. To the left of the bar is the curved major extension set out for diners which was remarkably busy on my midday Friday visit. The bar has two sets of five hand pumps which had one unused and one available soon. The rest had the JDW Trio Of Doom, Orkney Ney Dragonhead, Quantock Wills Neck, Butcombe Best, Jurassic Midnight Blinder and Goddard's Fuggle Dee Dum. I went for the Wills Neck (£2.09) and the Midnight Blinder (£2.25) which were in good nick although the former one had a slight haze. There are very few pub options in Rushden (the transport society is a club that charges a pound entrance to non members) so anything with a decent pint is welcome. As Spoons go this one seemed OK to me.

this hotel is closed

now called the lounge bar