The William Stead (JD Wetherspoon), Darlington

The lesser known of Darlington’s two ‘spoons as it’s tucked away in a back street on the edge of the town centre. None the less a classic spoons, with the standard 5+5 pulls topped and tailed as usual on the rear counter and typical furnishings. It benefits from a really good newsprint patterned carpet so I’m guessing Mr Stead was a newpaper man not the similarly named John Stead, hero of the Avengers TV series. Upstairs has a keg only bar and the toilets, otherwise nothing outstanding in décor etc.

Visited July 19 and had 2 Daleside beers, Monkey Wrench and Old Legover.

Average Spoon's in a thoroughly modernised old building, containing one long rectangular room with a bar running its length. At the end is a small covered patio. It seems to have a relatively calm and pleasant atmosphere, at least during the daytime but the beer range was a bit limited, with Pennine Hair of the Dog and Amber Necker as guests alongside the usual Abbot, Ruddles and Doom Bar.

Not as good as Tanners Hall but OK as a Spoons, I suppose. Worth dropping in for a pint.

This is no longer a Lloyds since the Spoons web site lists it as a standard JDW. It's a rather pleasant old red brick building that the barmaid thought was originally a furniture shop. It's a much more likeable venue than the other Spoons in town but is let down by a poor selection of beers. I didn't look at the upper bar but the lower one had ten hand pumps with five beers doubled up. These were Greene King IPA& Abbot, Doom Bore, Bateman's XXXB and Adnam's Sixpoint Make it Rain. I went for the Make It Rain (£1.99) which was in very good condition. It seems a shame that the beer selection lets this place down.