The Picture House (JD Wetherspoon), Stafford

This is a nice Wethers but spoilt by a rather rubbish beer selection. Your usual Wethers standard ales plus the usual available soon meant that there were only 3 beers of interest. I quite like the film posters dotted around. It is a former picture house after all.

I first came here not that long after it opened and the building interior seems unchanged. As noted below it is and old cinema where the layout has been retained. There were posters advertising film nights which may appeal to some but not me. The feature I don't recall from my 1990s visit is the attractive paved area to the right overlooking the local river. It seemed inevitable but a shame that it had been largely overtaken by the nicotine addicts. The biggest disappointment here was the beer selection despite the GBG listing. There are two sets of five hand pumps where the two GK beers and Doom Bore were doubled up and Slater's Queen Bee was Available Soon. This left just the International Wadworth's Summer of 1842, Butcombe Rare Breed and Slater's Western APA. I went for the Slater's Western APA which despite being quite hazy was very tasty. This Spoons is a vast improvement on the other one in town but I thought it could be a lot better.