The Wicket Gate (JD Wetherspoon), Chester Le Street

Medium sized spoons, no longer a Lloyds No1, in 3/4 of a modern brick building on the site of the town’s workhouse. Usual ‘spoons set up regarding high tables by the counter and low further away and it’s on two floor levels, it’s raised on the right. The odd thing here was not that the place was full but there was a bingo game in progress, a first for me, some regulars also returned their glasses to a tray by the counter that the staff use for that. There’s a screen on silent at one end with a couple of machines below and another machine by the front door. The rear located counter has six plus six pulls with a standard and a double T plus the usual wine / cocktails dispensers. Good Beer Guide listed, my Maxim Swedish Blonde was a VG; Hadrian & Border, Yorkshire Heart and Wychwood were also available plus Abbot Reserve, and two usual suspects. Just a little of the usual spoons decor, old photos either side of the kitchen serving hatch and other odd places. There’s a beer garden at the back and another upstairs with toilets both at the ground floor left end and upstairs by the upper beer garden. The tables and glasses are cleared quickly, it seems a well run spoons.

Official site of The Wicket Gate (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Official site of The Wicket Gate (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com