The Society Rooms (JD Wetherspoon), Maidstone

A modern Spoons in an office block, very handy for Maidstone East station. Despite the lack of history and architecture, this felt like a rather more pleasant place for a pint than its central cousin, and it was certainly friendlier and more efficient. There were also three good local guest ales on - two from Tonbridge and one from Three Acre.

One of two branches of Wetherspoon's in Maidstone, this one is convenient for the start of or finish to a crawl from Maidstone East station. Located in an ugly looking office block, the L-shaped interior feels quite modern, light and airy. There is an outdoor courtyard, used by both smokers and for those that like drinking/eating al fresco. The usual trio of Greene King Abbot, Ruddles Best & Sharp's Doom Bar were on, alongside 3 guests - Fuller's London Pride, Thornbridge Jaipur & Twickenham Naked Ladies. Ciders were Gwynt y Ddraig Black Dragon & Weston's Old Rosie. Customers in here seemed a bit rough and ready. Their language was choice. However, service was efficient. Apart from its convenient location, there's not really much to recommend this one.

This is a large, modern Lloyd’s No 1 bar, conveniently located next to Maidstone East station. It’s a bit of an ugly concrete and glass edifice built into the ground floor of the slightly dystopian-looking Brenchley House. A large L-shaped room interior has been filled with all the usual mixed seating options, some underneath huge floor to ceiling windows at the front, that offer good people-watching opportunities. It’s a fairly featureless space, even by the usual Lloyd’s bar standards, with the servery running along much of the right-hand wall, all strewn with fairy lights, but otherwise fairly plain in itself. Large mirrors and a few of the usual local history boards, plus a small bookcase next to the slot machines, account for the sum total of visual distraction, and the pub’s most interesting feature turns out to be a courtyard garden with lots of metal frame seating, some large umbrellas and other such bits of shelter, plus views back into the pub, through the large side windows. The pub was doing a roaring trade on my midweek lunchtime visit, with limited seating remaining to the rear and out in the courtyard. On the bar, the usual three ‘Spoons cask ales were present alongside three guests, from which I chose the Black Sheep Astronomer, which was in decent nick. The staff seemed friendly enough and went to great lengths to replace one of the ales for another customer. This felt like a pretty basic ‘Spoons with nothing other than the courtyard seating area and proximity to the station to set it apart from others in the chain. The beer range was okay and they seem to know how to keep the beer well, but with several more interesting pubs a short walk from here, I’d reserve this place for pre-train drinks only in the future.

A mediocre Wetherspoons at the base of an office block close to Maidstone East station. The upper office use means that here the toilets are downstairs instead of upstairs. A large room with full height glazing to the front corner, there is an outdoor area to the rear LHS. Two banks of five, nothing really exciting on, the Otter Christmas ale was ok. Very busy indeed Saturday lunchtime and service was perfunctory and indifferent. I’ve been in better of the chain.