The Assembly Rooms (JD Wetherspoon), Epsom

This is a far nicer building than the typical Spoons shop conversion as noted before. Having said that it still has the Spoons curse of the upstairs toilets accessed by a narrow staircase! On my relatively early doors visit today it was surprisingly busy, presumably due to the market area outside. It's a tad expensive for a Spoons (£2.49 for a "Standard" guest). Presumably this reflects the affluent profile of the area. There was something of an Adnam's festival today which left a restricted choice but the White Horse Wayland Smithy was in excellent condition.

This is an attractive and prominent Grade II listed building, converted by Wetherspoons from a Georgian building originally used as the town's assembly rooms. The large rectangular interior is effectively divided into three main areas, the front area has mixed seating, part wooden flooring and part carpeted, with good views outside through the large tall windows. At the very rear, slightly raised but with disabled access, is the long bar, plenty of room around and in front for vertical drinking but no tables. The middle strip has a flagstone floor, well worn and clearly of age, this area is divided from the rest of the pub by solid exposed brick piers, and has a more recent conservatory roof above. It has the feel of a colonnade, but this area will once have been the open courtyard/carriage entrance in the centre of the building with the openings between the piers leading to the various areas. A well adapted yet preserved piece of history. JDWs get a bad press sometimes but there are some things they do very well when it comes to giving new life to old buildings. As a pub, well it is a 'spoons, the usual menus, leisurely service, there were what I would regard as three guest ales on, Brains SA Gold, Adnams Broadside and Hepworths Iron Horse, ok at £2.29. I've found better choice. As well there was the usual Ruddles, Abbot etc. Worth a visit if in Epsom, and probably one of the better bets for a pint if hanging around for a train or escaping from shopping in the adjacent Ashley Centre.

Impressive-looking building, converted into a semi-open layout with a range of different seating areas. Ten handpumps offering a reasonable choice of real ale and cider, with guest ales (such as my pint of Batemans Veto Ale) keenly priced at £2.20. Overall, nothing special, but it serves its purpose well enough.

Official page of the Assembly Rooms at the Wetherspoon site - www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk

Official page of the Assembly Rooms at the Wetherspoon site - www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk

This is a pretty standard Wetherspoons. It’s larger than your average pub, but not particularly large by ‘spoons standards. There were four guest ales on, as well as two or three of the usual suspects, plus at least one cider. The usual ‘spoons food is available of course. As you enter from the main road you find yourself in a bare-boarded room with a rather nice rug large down the middle of the room, furnished with the usual mix of standard tables and chairs, tall tables/stools, and a couple of sofas. Past this room through some arches is another large-ish room, this one with a flagstone floor and more normal tables and chairs, leading up a couple of steps to the bar area, where there is a fair amount of space for vertical drinking. As usual there are muted TVs and fruit machines and the like about the place. Just like almost every other high street Wetherspoons you’ve been in then, but welcome to me as I happened to be in Epsom at 11.40 on a Sunday morning.

Randomness Guide to London - Assembly Rooms entry

Randomness Guide to London - Assembly Rooms entry

I had a drink in here before and after the Derby at the weekend. It definitely wasn't my idea to travel all that way and end up in the same Wetherspoons pub twice. The management were very strict on people not drinking outside, which was a shame as it was a lovely day. I was informed by a member of staff that they are waiting for the council to decide on their application for drinking outside. The pub itself is the usual large spoons pub with very cheap drinks.