The Herbert Wells (JD Wetherspoon), Woking

This is an old-fashioned, shop-converted branch of Wetherspoons with a good central location, not too far from the station and main retail streets. The pub is carpeted throughout and has a nice centrepiece semi-circular seating area, which is partitioned by low stained glass topped screens. Elsewhere, high tables and stools dominate the rear part of the room, with banquette booths around the perimeter including under the large front windows, and basic tables and chairs mop up any remaining space, mainly to the left and rear right. The bar runs along the back wall and has an attractive dark wood counter with curved ends and a rather unimpressive bar back. Two very nice stained glass clocks can be found on the ceiling, adding something a bit different to an otherwise very familiar environment, whilst a number of large wood panelled pillars through the centre of the room help to break that space up a little. There’s a lot of stained glass, dark wood panelling and mirrors throughout the pub, plus the usual ‘Spoons information boards, local historical photos and various TV screens showing a muted episode of The Simpsons. A small number of tables have been set up on the pavement outside as well, but there’s not much of a view from out there, so they’re best left to the smokers. On the bar, there were the usual three ‘Spoons regular ales plus six guests and a real cider option. I forgot to note which beer I ended up with, but I do remember it was in good shape and worthy of the pub’s inclusion in the Good Beer Guide - one of a very small number of reliable real ale outlets in Woking. It’s easy to feel a bit jaded visiting this sort of out-dated High Street ‘Spoons, as they tend to generate a ‘seen-it-all-before’ vibe, but I quite liked this place, even if, on the surface, it was nothing particularly out of the ordinary. The beer was varied and well-kept, the service was friendly and the place seemed clean and had a few interesting features to set it apart enough. With so little competition, this is the first port of call when visiting Woking.

Standard Wetherspoons interior on High Street. All average

A poster outside and in boasts ten real ales always on, I counted 12 and 5 ciders, with no "coming soon". The layout is much as 'Spoons afficonado Aqualung describes. Given the beer turnover and Wetherspoons buying polices all a 'Spoons needs is decent staff and a fairly competent cellarman to be a pub worth visiting. This one excels all round, service, choice and beer quality make it a destination in Woking. Rightly listed in GBG2016.

The reason for the split personality of this pub mentioned below is that it was originally called just Wetherspoons. It changed some five or more years ago, apparently originally to Herbert George Wells and then just Herbert Wells. If they had used the initials rather than the full names I might have twigged sooner who the hell Herbert Wells was! It's an old school Spoons dating from June 1995 and is clearly some sort of shop or office conversion so hardly needs describing. I thought it was looking a bit tired but that may have just been because the three previous Spoons visited had been completely different to this stereotypical one. It's large enough to host 3 sets of six hand pumps but one bank contained just Abbot and five ciders. The second one had Adnam's Broadside, Hogs Back TEA & HBB, Loddon Hocus Pocus, Courage Best and Wickwar Christmas Cracker. The third contained GK Abbot, Mordue Headmaster's Christmas Sermon, Stonehenge Rudolph, Hogs Back TEA, Twickenham Sundancer and Doom Bore. I went for the Mordue beer (£2.25) which was in great nick. It's a GBG regular and it would seem from that esteemed publication that the only other outlet Woking has to offer is a Railway club. I think I will pass on checking whether that is really the case. It's got a decent beer and cider selection and that will do for me.

One of the nicer spoons around. Big open plan room with friendly service, good ale choice and good value food.

On the main drag of the Modern Utopia that is Woking, a very impersonal JDW comprising a single large rectangular bar, mostly full of the over-70s enjoying their afternoon Kipps in the calm ambiance; I didn't want to make too much noise lest The Sleeper Awakes. Although offering the normal JDW food it wasn't as well cooked as normal and tasted very greasy - not The Food of the Gods, from my Points of View. The one architectural feature of note was the large glass Time Machine faces set into the ceiling. Meanwhile, on this Wonderful Visit there were 6 ales and 2 ciders on, and 2 unmarked pumps, The First and Last Things I saw on the bar, with no clue about What is Coming. I had TEA which was much too cold - a Boon for some, I suppose, but not A Dream for me. I'm sure I'll drop in again, but You Can't Be Too Careful.

The Herbert Wells page at the Wetherspoon site - www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk