The Full House (JD Wetherspoon), Hemel Hempstead

Large branch of Wetherspoon's on the main shopping street through Hemel, located in an old cinema and bingo hall. The bar is located at the rear of the building, down a few steps and below a large and impressive frieze. Seating is then on various levels throughout the building. Despite the very high ceilings, the pub was unbelievably warm, a little too warm for our liking. Staff were efficient and served us fairly quickly. Greene King Abbot was on as usual, alongside their IPA. Other real ales were Tring Santa's Little Helper, Redemption Kazbek & Big Chief & Leighton Buzzard Xmash. In addition, there were 4 real ciders - Snail's Bank Raspberry Ripple, Cock Eyed Pear Mania, Weston's Old Rosie & Thistly Cross Whisky Cask. Despite the decent cider selection, I took a gamble on the Santa's Little Helper despite it being almost a week since 12th night! In fairness, it was still in good condition. It was fairly busy with a number of elderly patrons and also some young mothers with their children. Not a bad 'spoon's that I would probably head to again if ever back in Hemel Hempstead.

Quite a large Spoons as expected after being converted from a Cinema. The interior was very industrial looking with steelwork wrapped columns and the front of the bar cladded in a metallic looking bronze finish. The top of the walls in the main bar area had the plaster hacked away to expose the red brick underneath. Seventeen pumps on our visit with most of them doubled up. We went for the Tring Clumper and Adnam's Ghost Ship, both of which were in good shape and only £2 a pint. The service was good, but the atmosphere in here on our Friday afternoon visit was very tense, as there was a group of about 30 young traveller lads making a disturbance in the place. So we didn't stay around too long.

This was an Odeon Cinema, probably one of the last ones to be built as it was started in 1959. Before becoming a Spoons in Summer 1998 it had become a bingo hall. As would be expected with a cinema conversion it is a huge space inside with a bar taking up the lower area below where the big screen would have been. This bar had 18 pumps which I didn't have time to note down as I was in a hurry to get back to London before the worst of the rush hour kicked in. I do remember there being a reasonable selection of ales. I went for a Locale beer Haresfoot Lock Keeper (£2.05) which was in excellent nick. This was the cheapest Spoons of the day and rather more typical of the London ones I'm used to. I would think it would be well worth a look at beer festival time. It's a shame that the centre of Hemel Hempstead is so far from the station.

Small entrance that opens out into a large drinlking area with the bar and a few more tables down a few steps. There is a small raised 'library' area to the left as you enter with bookshelves and a quieter atmosphere. Large mural of what is perhaps supposed to be some sort of Roman/Greek vista behind the bar. The 'beer garden' is a paved smokers area with a few tables cordoned off from the main road by a low wall and some pot plants. Decent range of ales and ciders.

Just a run of the mill Wetherspoon's in the middle of a concrete jungle although it did have a fair range of real ales on.

Official pages of the Full House - www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk