The Ralph Fitz Randal (JD Wetherspoon), Richmond

Surprisingly spacious 'spoons housed in a former post office, with a lower seating / dining area at least as large as the main bar area at the front. Nothing very remarkable about the furniture and decor, but the real ale selection from the two banks of five handpumps was unusually good. I found four beers from Pennine and a pair from Brighouse - including the Gin Blonde (£0.99 for a cautious half, as juniper and elderflower were also other ingredients as well as gin - three things I normally avoid, but actually quite nice together in this beer), in addition to Hobgoblin Gold and the usual trio.

As noted below, this is a former Post Office. I had alarm bells ringing as I approached it as there was a young child literally screaming through the door of the pub. It transpired that the child was screaming at his mother who was ignoring him while pouring money into a fruit machine overlooked by another mother holding a toddler. All sorts of rules were being broken here but the only person who looked like a manager came down to the bar and then disappeared upstairs despite the child's screaming continuing. I can't blame the serving staff for this situation as it's down to management to sort it out. The serving staff were pleasant and doing their job well. I regularly spot abuses of the Family Friendly JDW policy but this was by far the worst case I've ever seen. The main problem is that the staff usually just don't have the time to monitor the parents that ignore the rules. Inside it's a split level room with the bar on the left and a square room with low seating down some steps. There is a patio at the rear left. The bar has ten hand pumps which had one unused, the JDW Trio Of Doom with Abbot and Doom Bore doubled, Roosters YPA, Sonnet 43 Raven & Seraphim and Hambledon Stallion. I went for the Seraphim which wasn't that great. After I went for the curry club but had a bottle of Devil's Backbone as the "free" drink. I thought this could be a reasonable JDW but on the basis of my visit is not.

Official site of Ralph Fitz Randal (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Official site of Ralph Fitz Randal (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

This is a sizable split-level Wetherspoons pub opposite the attractive Friary Gardens. The building previously served as a post office, but I was a bit disappointed to find that the conversion failed to retain any sense of this. You enter into a smart front seating area with plenty of tub chairs extending into an open space to the left. The bar appears further on, to the left hand side of a slightly lower part of the room where the seating is a little sparser and consists predominantly of high tables and stools. A second set of steps takes you down into the nicest section of the pub at the rear of the room. This is a pretty large, open space with lots of standard tables and chairs and a few padded banquette booths along the right hand wall. An attractive brick fireplace acts as a bit of a focal point on the rear wall, with high, imposing bookcases filling the rest of the wall space to either side, creating an impressive effect when viewed from the bar area. Doors to the left lead out to a nice split level beer patio with plenty of seating, colourful hanging baskets and a vase of flowers on each table. I counted four guest ales across the two banks of hand pumps, plus two ‘Spoons regulars and two with a ‘Coming Soon’ clip on them. Having arrived early one morning and with a long drive ahead of me, I elected to have a cup of tea with my typically hearty ‘Spoons breakfast, so I can’t comment on the quality of the beer. The service was particularly friendly from both the bar and waitressing staff. There was something about this place that I really liked, although I’m finding it tricky to pinpoint exactly what it was. In many ways this is a fairly straightforward Wetherspoons outlet but I found it a comfortable, relaxing spot on a Saturday morning and enjoyed a bit of time in the sun-trap garden. This place served its purpose as somewhere to grab a cheap breakfast very well and I’d happily return for a pint or two the next time I’m in town.

Housed in an ex-post office, this is a big open space, with a blue carpet, high tables and chairs down the centre line and fairly incompetent staff, yes it's a JDW. The beer's pretty good though hence it's the only Richmond pub in the 2012 GBG. Accommodated over three floor levels, with the toilets upstairs, the front has a reasonably cosy seating area. The counter is in the middle section and at the back down another level is a sea of tables and chairs. Clientele is the usual JDW mix of dining families and all day drinking Harold Ramp types. Ten handpumps in two banks with various configurations of T Bar in between, it's a JDW chaps so you know what to expect.