The Maidenhead Inn (JD Wetherspoon), Basingstoke

The Maidenhead Inn is the more traditional of the two Wetherspoon's in Basingstoke. It can be found on one of the town's main shopping street. Similar to the Angel, it is smaller than average with a long, thin interior. There is a small area at the front overlooking the street, which leads to a bar area with the bar itself on the right-hand-side. Just beyond the bar, some stairs lead down to what looked like a windowless basement space, whilst some more steps lead up to a further drinking space with an outdoor courtyard beyond that. At the bar, regular ales were Greene King Abbot, Ruddles Best & Sharp's Doom Bar. Guests were Burning Sky Aurora, Adnams T Drop, Thornbridge Coltrane & Red Racer Session IPA. The cider was Gwynt y Ddraig Black Dragon. We timed our visit badly, as a group of around a dozen or so students were being served. So, there was quite a wait. They were more interested in talking amongst themselves than trying to communicate their orders and specific requirements to the bar staff. Opposite the bar are a few fruit machines. We sat nearby as one guy spent the whole of our visit throwing more and more money into the one, with seemingly no return. We also watched with amusement as one of the town's many nutters returned to the bar with his pint of lager demanding a replacement. I initially assumed that this was because it was somehow off, but it soon became apparent that his beef was with the fact that the front of the pub was empty and he was sat on his own! The barman contemplated his dilemma but unsurprisingly decided that the paucity of customers did not warrant a replacement pint. He even suggested that the gentleman find somewhere else to sit in the pub where there were some customers. Thankfully, after a long period of contemplation and a bit of a stand-off, the customer decided that he didn't wish to sit with other customers elsewhere. He retreated back to the front part of the pub before heading outside shortly after and smashing his full pint glass onto the pavement outside. Apparently this guy was a regular who always returns around an hour later to apologise for his behaviour. Basingstoke is certainly a strange place. It's not a place you should leave your wife (or possibly even your husband) unattended to visit the conveniences. It's a certainty that by the time you return that a nutter will have made an effort to strike a conversation with your partner. Lo and behold, this was the second pub where this had happened to us. Wetherspoon's pubs may not provide entertainment in the usual sense (quiz nights, karaokes, discos, live music, TVs, meat raffles, pool etc), but there's generally some interesting people watching to be had. Other than that, I found this to be a fairly dull and depressing drinking environment. Nevertheless, I managed to complete my pint of Coltrane without feeling the need to launch the glass!

One of two Wetherspoons in Basingstoke, this is the more traditionally styled of the two. You enter from a pedestrianised street to the lower seating area, which has a typical 'Spoons carpet, three quarter height, light wood panels, large arched windows to the front and lots of basic tables and chairs economically arranged to maximise the available space. At the far end there is a small shelving unit displaying Good Beer Guides, pump clips, hops and other bits that give the impression that the pub knows a bit about beer. Steps in the mid-point of the room lead up to the rear bar area where there is extremely limited seating - probably six or seven tables all told, mainly served by simple chairs. The bar is on the right-hand wall and has a rather bland counter with a similarly styled bar back. The usual local photos and history boards are on display throughout the pub, although I didn't see any TV screens. The place was packed early on a Saturday evening, so it was hard to get a table anywhere, but once I did, the food came promptly and was about as good as a 'Spoons meal gets. I counted three regular 'Spoons ales and four guest beers on the handpulls, from which I tried the Green Jack Lurcher Stout, which was in excellent condition. The full house made it hard to get a proper feel for the pub, but I got the impression that it was pretty generic and perhaps wouldn't have stuck in the memory had it not been so lively. I passed a reasonable half hour or so in this pub, but struggle to remember much about it or find many positives. The beer and food definitely seemed to be plus points, but that's about the beginning and end of it, as the pub left me cold and I'd struggle to name an interesting feature. In a chain that suffers from identikit pubs, this might be the most generic of them all. Date of visit - 17th February 2024

Rather unremarkable pub, was expecting better from outside. Despite the split levels its modern and characterless, small & long with an outside space at the back

Canteen style spoons with a unremarkable beer lineup, I wouldn't bother again.