The Last Judgement, Chancery Lane, WC2

Very stylish but may,be over the top with the Armoury.Busy after work till about 9.30 with the office crowd.Always found the guest ale choice is poor and presume the manager is not trying the beers he orders.Seem to like Cottage(gag) and Itchin Valley (gag).Still its an impressive Wetherspoon pub.

This is a typical central London bank conversion, similar to those in the Fuller’s Ale and Pie House chain, except that this is actually a Wetherspoons pub. The former Union Bank has now been converted into a vast drinking space with the servery running along the right hand wall of the huge, carpeted main room. The bar counter is nicely curved and the bar back is an impressive structure incorporating various pillars, plenty of glass and tiles and an abstract sculpture of a knight on horseback. High tables and stools have been arranged in front of the large windows, whilst the rest of the space is filled with typical Wetherspoons table and chair seating. A few large marble pillars break up the space slightly and the ceiling has been painted with images of knights, cherubs and the like. At the rear of the room, stairs lead up to a mezzanine style area which is divided into four compact areas, two of which look out over the main part of the pub. These rooms have more of a traditional pub feel to them, with carpet, wood panelling, tiled fireplaces, old paintings and large book cases all present and correct alongside some more knight sculptures. It’s a nice spot to enjoy a meal as well as escaping from the crowds in the main bar. As a flagship Wetherspoons pub, I had hoped to find an exciting ale selection, but it was a great disappointment to find just three guest ales among the regulars on the twelve hand pumps. I gave the Conwy Mulberry Dark a try which was a nice enough pint. I thought this place was a little bit soulless at first, but the raised area at the back is certainly worth exploring. If large bank conversions are your thing, then this is one of the better ones, but it doesn’t come close to the Cross Keys or some of the aforementioned Fullers pubs.