The Imperial (JD Wetherspoon), Exeter

It’s an impressive view walking up the grass covered hill past the many picnic tables to the top where a grand building that currently houses the Imperial stands. The entrance leads to a walkway that has carpeted seating areas of varying sizes to the left and right. There’s also a small sunken bar mid-way up the right that supports six hand pumps that were drawing the usual three plus Jaipur, Theakston XB and Exeter Brewery’s Avocet Ale. At the end of the walkway there’s a couple of steps down to a large carpeted open plan seating area that was completely full, mostly with students. The main bar area is found around to the left rear where it sits under a very impressive dome with a huge glass window at the far end where a drinking club was having a private session in the sunken seating area. The rearward facing counter supports another eight hand pumps that were drawing additional cask of Conwy Brewery’s Ramparts, Mauldon’s Black Adder, Vale Brewery’s Red Kite, Sambrook’s Brewery’s Powerhouse Porter and Cairngorm Brewery’s Trade Winds. I went for the very good Red Kite that was served by a friendly member of staff. I really liked it in here and will say that it’s the best Spoons I’ve visited.

Set high up on a hill above Exeter St David’s station and handily located for the university, this is a large former hotel that is now operating as perhaps the finest branch of the Wetherspoons pub chain that I have thus far encountered. If, like me, you’re arriving from the station, you’ll need to negotiate a bit of a lung-busting climb, including following the old hotel driveway as it winds its way past the large front lawns with their ample picnic bench seating, eventually emerging into the modest sized car park, from where you can enter the pub through the main front doors. Once inside, you pass through a series of well appointed rooms that were presumably part of the hotel’s lobby area, now each made into smart lounge-like spaces with a mix of tables and chairs and a few comfier seating options. Each of these rooms has its own section of servery to the right, each quite dimly lit so that it didn’t detract too much from the grandeur of the rooms, which have all been tastefully decorated with appropriate period artwork and ornaments. Beyond these spaces, the pub opens out into a much larger space with a sizable seating area to the right and a stunning ‘orangery’ to the left. The main seating space is grand in scale, with some decorative flourishes, loads of tables and chairs and more of the same art on display. However, the pub’s centrepiece is the orangery area, replete with its curved metal girder supported vaulted ceiling and the incredible full height, semi-circular window at the far end of the room which looks stunning from both inside and out. The room is carpeted and split across a couple of levels, with a bar running down one side and some high tables and chairs opposite, before it drops down into the broad space in front of that window. There appeared to be a couple of dartboards in cases on the right-hand wall and the space directly under the end window was being used for a beer festival the pub had put on for the weekend, with around twenty casks on stillage and a small serving counter. The twenty festival ales meant the actual bar was relatively low on ale options, with the three regular Spoon’s ales available alongside two or three guests. I headed straight for the festival bar, picked up a very well kept pint of Bays Savannah for £1.99, and sat at a table facing the end window, soaking up the view. The pub is unsurprisingly popular with students and my 13:00 Thursday afternoon visit saw about 25-30 blokes in fancy dress filling one of the rooms. I loved this place and thought it was one of those great Wetherspoons conversions where you can settle down and forget that you’re actually in a Wetherspoons. For me, just about everything about this place worked - the superb orangery, the comfy lounge areas, the extensive gardens and of course, the enterprising beer festival and it’s top quality ale. No wonder Tim Martin is also having photo ops in this pub - it’s a jewel in the company’s crown and an absolute must-visit when in Exeter.

Comprehensively described below, this impressive building in its imposing setting is certainly a cut above most other JDWs. What lets it down is the humans. There was a wedding party setting the tone; the bride and her hens were cackling and stamping out their fag ends right by the door, much to the obvious disgust of the photographer. The staff had clearly been overworked and were tetchy, while the other clients sighed as one when the wedding party left,  presumably to find somewhere with cheaper lager, Tesco maybe. When we eventually found a seat someone asked us if we were going to be long- we said we were, he tutted and staggered off, muttering angrily. The ales were good though - BBC Fool Hardy, Black Tor Wheat Beer, Doombar, Broadside, Otter Ale and St Peter’s Plum Porter.  Worth the climb up the hill if changing trains at St David’s.