The Blackwater Stream (JD Wetherspoon), Broadstone

Formerly the Wishing Well, this pub at the far end of Broadstone’s main retail drag is now a large Wetherspoons venue. I used to visit the Wishing Well back in the late ‘90’s, mainly to watch football as they had lots of screens around the pub, and also to cheekily use their free car park rather than paying for the one next to it (the pub car park is no longer free, so don’t bother trying that nowadays). The present-day pub is much larger than I recall, which suggests that the building has been extended into a neighbouring property, or perhaps just that my memory isn’t quite what it used to be. A corner entrance leads you into the crook of the pub’s L-shaped layout, with copious seating available in either direction – a long stretch along the front of the pub or else a similar distance down the right-hand side, with the servery following a similar shape to the rear left. The bar has a typical dark wood panelled counter with a modern bar back that incorporates a large feature mirror with the pub’s name and an image of the eponymous stream etched on it. Hops line the bar canopy, in the pub’s one half-hearted nod to traditional pub décor, but otherwise things are quite modern in feel, with the front right part of the pub using contemporary furnishings to create a few reasonably homely feeling spots by Wetherspoons standards. This space centres around a quarry stone floored area with a nice raised brick fireplace on the front wall, all of which looks like it might have been retained from the old pub. This soon gives way to a carpeted area along the rest of the front part of the room with standard tables and chairs filling a space that has been broken up a little by the positioning of a few large pillars. High tables and stools fill the space closer to the bar and there is more of the same down the right side of the pub, as the room runs to the rear, with a row of nice bench booths occupying part of the length of the end wall. At the rear, a set of doors open out to the small patio garden where a few picnic benches have been plonked in what was once part of the pub’s car park. We came here for breakfast, so I didn’t get around to sampling any of their ales, of which there were three ‘Spoons regulars and one guest beer, with at least three more unclipped pumps. The food we had here was good and the service was quick and friendly. Broadstone felt like a slightly odd choice of location for a branch of Wetherspoons, despite there only being one other pub in the direct area, but this place seems to be doing a reasonable trade, even when we visited during the pandemic. It’s a reasonably well fitted, if rather unmemorable example of a Wetherspoons and whilst I’m sure the locals are very appreciative of the place, there’s no really reason to divert out here to check it out.

Official site of The Blackwater Stream (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Official site of The Blackwater Stream (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Housed in a very dull '70s building that looks like a housing estate pub, although it is located at the end of a parade of shops. Dark, 'L'-shaped bar with a fraction of the window space it could have had. However, the slightly more varied range of (what looks like multi-source second-hand) furniture and local history displays add a bit of interest. The beer garden you pass beside on entering is a also a reasonable spot on a sunny day. Decent selection of real ales in a variety of styles from the two banks of five handpumps, with my pint of the festival Mild the Gap (£2.65) being in good shape.

The Blackwater Stream appears to be an original pub albeit a modern one, hence the car park at the rear and a proper front garden rather than a paved patio, both being unusual in Spoonsland. Inside it's a large L shaped room with a low ceiling and much better than usual fixtures and fittings. On a rainy January Tuesday the garden was deserted but the inside full with almost entirely diners. The bar has ten hand pumps which had one available soon, two ciders, the JDW Trio Of Doom with Doom Bore doubled, Adnam's Belgian Blond, Lancaster Black and Ringwood 49er. I went for the Lancaster Black (£2.79) which was in good nick but expensive for a JDW. This seemed quite an upmarket Spoons but the beer choice could have been better.