The Picture House (JD Wetherspoon), Leeds

From the name I was expecting an art deco extravaganza of an ex cinema, sadly the cinema was replaced by shops, see Aqualung’s potted history, and is now a modern frontage on the same site with the renovated old bit behind. The street scene is largely Victorian with some 1960s dross mixed in, so the Picture House fits into neither category. It does go back a long way with the usual ‘spoons mix of low seating at the front, tall by the middle left counter and low seating in booths at the back. The place was heaving on a Thursday lunchtime when I popped in, half of Morley could have been in from babies to pensioners, usual ‘spoons then. Two banks of six pulls plus the interspersed T-Bars, the unholy trinity beefed up with guests from North Yorkshire, that is Daleside and Rudgate, and also Exmoor Beast which seems a ‘spoons favourite at present, a Daleside was replaced with a Scottish beer from Loch Lomond while I was there. Not a lot of decor, there’s a big panel with stills from silent movies and the odd bit or piece, the lighting is interesting being reused desk lights in the middle section. Toilets are downstairs at the back and there is also an upstairs outside terrace with views of Queen Street as well as a smaller ground floor terrace at the back. It’s a smaller ‘spoons so the staff were fairly switched on, quick service and tables cleared sooner not later, beer quality pretty good too.

This is a recently opened JDW (Late 2014) and their web site reveals something of the history. It's a conversion from a charity shop and a Blockbuster Video. The charity shop was previously one called Motor World and the whole thing before that was a Fine Fare supermarket which in turn had been converted from the Picture House cinema. Inside there's a high ceiling bar area at the front that narrows to the rear leading to a small patio. There is a much more elaborate looking roof patio that I didn't visit. It was quite busy on my early Thursday afternoon visit. Of the twelve hand pumps four were unused leaving just Ruddles, Doom Bore, a cider, Caledonian Thunder Trail, Adnam's Broadside, Greyhawk Honeycomber, Elland Ichor and Naylor's Voodoo. I went for the Greyhawk beer (£2.19) which was in good nick. It's not a bad place and the unusual roof patio may interest some.

The Picture House page on the JD Wetherspoon website - www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk