The Mile Castle (Lloyds No 1), Newcastle Upon Tyne

Fairly impressive building that houses this branch of Wetherspoon's that is located within a short walk from Central Station. There is a small drinking area near the entrance, but most people seem to congregate near the ground floor bar. There is at least one more bar on the upper levels. But I don't ever recall venturing upstairs. On our wet Wednesday morning visit, there were a fair few in for breakfasts and morning drinks, but bar staff seemed to be fairly scarce when I walked in. The usual 'spoon's ales - Greene King Abbot, Ruddles Best & Sharp's Doom Bar were on, along with guests Maxim Double Maxim & Nectaron, Hadrian Border Ouseburn Porter & Grainger Ale & Allendale Golden Plover, Wolf & Wagtail. Weston's Old Rosie was available from a bag-in-the-box in the fridge. I think there are better branches of Wetherspoon's in the city, but this one is fairly handy for a swift one before catching a train.

This grand building, close to the Central train station, was formerly the head office for the TSB Bank. After a short, ill-advised period operating as a sports bar, during which time the building partially collapsed after the owners removed a load-bearing wall, the venue was taken over by Wetherspoons, who opened the place as a Lloyds No 1 bar in 2009. The venue is now split over three levels and was very busy when I popped in for breakfast on a Sunday morning. You enter past some very limited pavement seating into a predominantly empty space with a couple of sofas and a wall that screens this space from the rest of the pub. Passing the wall, you emerge into a typically vast 'Spoons style main bar area with the servery running along the left hand wall. Seating options seem fairly restricted here, with several high tables and stools through the middle of the room and tub chairs elsewhere. A staircase leads up to a first floor bar with the servery in a similar location. Up here there are lots of standard tables and chairs with a few colourful paintings on the walls and a large mural on the end wall. The usual 'Spoons info boards can be found dotted around the place and there are some pleasing light fittings which look good in such a large, open space. Another staircase leads up to a second floor area with its own bar and comfier seating options including several more sofas. Essentially you have a drinking barn on the ground floor, a dining room on the first floor and a lounge on the second floor, which seems like a sensible approach for a city centre 'Spoons hoping to appeal to all-comers. There are countless handpulls across the three different bars, but as far as I could tell, most had beers doubled up from other floors. On the ground floor bar I noted three guest ales and two 'Spoons regulars. It being early in the morning after a long crawl the night before, I opted for a mug of tea with my breakfast, so I can't comment on the quality of the ales. I was impressed with the scope of this huge conversion and thought it was a bit disappointing that this seemingly hadn't translated into a wider selection of ales. The place is set up well to cater for a broad range of customers, giving the public access to a fine old building that might otherwise have been lost to us, but beyond the scale of the pub, there's not much here that you won't have seen before.

A three-tiered mega Spoons, with a bar on each floor. Little of the original interior remains but the general décor is good - carpeted, wood panelling and various bits of local history and old portraits. The top tier is the best room, with stained glass windows, lovely ceiling moulds and good views from the windows. There's also an impressive hireable room. Ale selection pretty much the same on all floors, though the greatest choice is on the ground floor; however it’s a Lloyds so don’t expect huge quantities of guest ales. My Mordue Radgie Gadgie was in good shape. Staff were noticeably chipper, a bit unusual for the chain. Although not as stunning as its near neighbour the Union Rooms, this place is still worth checking out.