The Kestrel, Barnsley

The Silkstone Inn isn't the largest of Spoons and is basically a square room with better than average fixtures and fittings. There are just eight hand pumps which had the JDW Trio Of Doom, Milestone Black Pearl & Cathedral Gold, Little Critters Blonde Bear, Rooster's Distant Sun and Ossett Yorkshire Blonde. I went for the Yorkshire Blonde (£2.35) which was in good nick. This seemed a decent enough Spoons to me. My only gripe with it was that I was served the beer in a stupid dimple jug without being asked for a preference. It's GBG 2017 listed.

The Silkstone is a Wetherspoons that is situated on a pedestrianised street. Once inside there is a decent sised square shaped room that is divided into different areas by bookcases,the bar is on the right side,the floor is part carpeted and bare boarded,there is a large gas fire which is almost in the middle of the room and it was kicking out some heat. The seating is normal tables and chairs. I had a drink of Springhead Rudolphs Ruin,which was a decent drink,the other real ales noted were Milestone Comet,Milestone Lions Pride,there were other guest beers i failed to note. The pub was packed just before 11am with a good mix of drinkers and diners. I quite liked this Wetherspoons. Pub visited 30/12/2016

Hidden away down a quiet and unlikely looking pedestrianised retail street, this is a fairly large single room Wetherspoons pub. You enter to a carpeted area with the servery running down the right hand wall, with a modern bar back which has wave patterned frosted glass and wood panels which create an unusual and not entirely unpleasant look. The middle of the room is packed full of standard tables and chairs, with high tables and stools lined up along the front windows which can be folded back to open the front of the pub up in warmer weather. The left hand side of the pub is partly screened by some large floor to ceiling shelving units and an unusual centrally positioned fireplace which I can't imagine gets a lot of use. Banquette seating runs down the left hand wall beneath some rather bright paintings of local scenes which add some much needed colour to an otherwise gloomy room. A series of padded bench booths complete the seating options, running down the back wall and each decorated with black and white photos and a globe shaped lamp shade. The pub takes it's name from the Silkstone coal seam which saw Barnsley become the main mining town in South Yorkshire and rather fittingly there is a sculpture of a colliery wheel and engine house positioned opposite the bar called 'Mining the Silk Seam'. Several TV screens were on throughout the room, showing muted news coverage to a fairly busy post-match crowd who were dealt with efficiently by the well drilled bar team. I counted eight handpulls which were offering four regular Wetherspoons ales, three guests and a real cider. I tried a pint of the Old Mill Blonde Bombshell but found it a bit tired and I struggled to get through it. This was the second disappointing Old Mill beer I tried that afternoon, and part of me now wonders if it was the beer itself that was the problem, rather than conditioning. I didn't really warm to this rather characterless 'Spoons and regret forsaking other pubs around town in order to give it a try. I'm afraid I can't agree with the previous reviewer on this one, as I much preferred the nearby Joseph Bramah branch of this chain.

Unremarkable 'spoons, perhaps a bit smaller than most but there is also quite a large patio are at the front. Eight handpumps, with a so-so choice considering that Thwaites Lancaster Bomber (£2.15) was about the most interesting one on offer. However, it is certainly more pleasant inside than the Lloyds No. 1 (the Joseph Bramah) a short distance away.