The Ford Madox Brown (JD Wetherspoon), Manchester

The Ford Madox Brown has carpeted seating areas in the windows either side of the entrance and a wood panelled serving counter edged by black and white floor tiles runs up the right-hand wall. High tables run up the centre of the pub on laminate and standard seating runs along the left-hand wall on parquet flooring. The counter supports standard and premium keg and there are two banks of five hand pumps. These were drawing the GK IPA and Abbot Ale, Sharp’s Doom Bar, Rudgate’s Valkyrie, Saltaire’s Triple Choc, Peerless Brewing’s Peerless Ale and Bank’s Freddys Export. The Saltaire was good, but this wasn’t my favourite Spoons. The dim red lighting and swirling red patterned ceiling reminded me of one of those Chinese Buffet restaurants.

This JDW is named after an eminent local artist whose fame has completely passed me by. As noted below it's a rectangular open room on the ground floor of a modern building. The furnishings are fairly typical and it did seem rather dark inside. It was fairly quiet early on a Thursday afternoon. There are two sets of five hand pumps which had one available soon, a cider from the festival over a month ago, a house beer, The JDW Trio Of Doom with Doom Bore doubled, Hawkshead Windermere Pale doubled and Kelham Island Rock Me Amadeus Lager. I went for the Windermere Pale (£2.29) which was in reasonably good nick. It's not a bad Spoons.

A traditional Wetherspoons box. 10 handpumps with a decent selection today. Slightly ruined by whinging kids this afternoon. But then again, if Wetherspoons suddenly closed their pubs we'd all be crying to get em back though wouldn't we?

Fairly standard, modern build JDW close to the main hospitals which is why I was here as I was playing taxi driver. Some decent art work around the walls and a good selection of the JDW Xmas ales on the handpumps. Service was efficient and friendly and my coffee was very good as always. Shame I couldn't have a beer, but maybe next time.