The Ward Jackson (Lloyds No 1), Hartlepool

Standard spoons in a modern block, inside it curves round in a sort of J shape the counter following at the back. Long but quite thin there’s a garden at the rear. Six pulls, unholy trinity at one end and three Yorkshire beers at the other. Some punters were forming a queue in spite of three bar staff serving at different tills, weird place Hartlepool.

Not the best beer selection but Ringwood Old Thumper not too bad.

Official site of The Ward Jackson (Lloyds No 1) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Official site of The Ward Jackson (Lloyds No 1) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

A lot of room to left and right of the central bar. It was a Friday so there was an act on the microphone, happily not that loud. Snecklifter was on to dull his sound. Not that bad a place.

This one is listed in the JDW directory as a Lloyds so as there was no obvious signage outside I was keen to try and find the Lloyds disaster area. I failed in that task. It's a roughly L shaped room in a modern building with fairly typical furnishings. The bar has just six hand pumps but as a bonus there was no Doom Bore, and every one was in use. Beers were the two from GK, Cameron's Strongarm, Maxim Double Maxim, Exmoor Gold and Big Lamp Embers. I went for the Big Lamp Embers (£1.95) which was in good nick. As for whether it's still a Lloyds, as I was leaving I noticed a Lloyds No 1 headed notice in the doorway about the dress code for Friday and Saturday night. Despite being a Lloyds it's not a bad Spoons.