The Parchment Makers (JD Wetherspoon), Havant

Located at the end of Havant’s main retail district, the Parchment Makers is a rather unusual Wetherspoons housed in a very shallow but endlessly wide building. The servery is centrally located along the back wall, featuring a dark wood counter with the typical polished stone top and a smart, mirrored bar back. Opposite the bar, high tables and chairs dominate, with more conventional seating options extending to either side through long, carpeted spaces, supported by large metal-clad pillars that run the length of the room. Banquette booths along the sides are framed by window partitioning painted in a bold blue, matching the slightly quirky colour scheme found throughout the pub. Traditional Wetherspoons features, such as local history boards and old photographs, are present, along with a couple of large mural-sized images and bookcases filled with old hardbacks. Several TV screens, mostly to the right, showed muted live football, while decorative lintels bore what initially appeared to be generic quotes but actually referenced the town’s parchment-making history. The cask ale range was solid, with three regulars and three guests doubled across two banks of six. I tried the Stonehenge Danish Dynamite, which was well kept. Service was friendly and attentive; the barman even topped up my pint without prompting, just as I was about to accept a borderline short measure from a lively line. As with most 'spoons, the place was rammed on a Saturday lunchtime, and despite plenty of seating throughout the pub, finding a free chair was a complete nightmare. This pub made a better impression than many Wetherspoons, helped by the decent service and an interesting historical theme that the pub played up to very well. It's obviously not a radical departure from the chain's tried and tested formula, but I felt there was enough here that folk who aren't fans of standard shop-style 'Spoons might well come around to this one. Date of visit: 4th January 2025

Peculiarly long and narrow Wetherspoon's running along the ground floor of a long and narrow office building. The interior has a slight feel of a battleship, with steel effect pillars, and odd phrases apparently from the WW1 armistice on the ceiling for no discernible reason. Small patio at the back. the manager semed to be enthusiastic about his beers and had a good range, including some milds (as it was May).