The Old Gaolhouse (JD Wetherspoon), Winchester

I turned up to this Spoons at around 11:00 on a Thursday to find it almost empty so by default became the daytime brigade! As noted below all the guff about any previous use is irrelevant as it's basically a shop conversion and with a standard guest ale price of £2.69 not the cheapest. I came to quite like it having returned later for a few reasonably priced pints and something to eat. The bar has twelve hand pumps which had three unused, the IPA version of the JDW Trio Of Doom, Caledonian Thunder Trail, Marston's Old Empire, Hobgoblin, Milestone Boston Bitter, Upham Autumn Leaves and Three Castles Heritage. I went for the Old Empire which was excellent. I also noticed Oakham Green Devil IPA on keg (£3.55) which I tried later and was first class. £3.55 is expensive for a JDW but I spotted that Spanish rubbish San Miguel was being sold 10p dearer. Despite the relatively high prices and three unused hand pumps I thought this was one of the better Spoons.

A former prison, prison governer's house and then a library, this is an interesting building just off the High Street. Split level inside, there is some ancient exposed brickwork, nice ceiling cornices, an attractive stained wooden fireplace surround as well as the usual local history stories and pictures. There is a write up about Charlie Peace, a one time thief and murderer but who's connection with Winchester is obscure to me. A morbid looking caged cell has an iron worked skeleton inside. There was a reasonable selection of the non-regulars on, I noted Longdog Kismet, Ringwood Fortyniner, Wharfe Bank Admiral Armada, Maxim Double Maxim, Flack's Double Drop and Drayman's Drop. I've been in worse 'spoons than this, the clientele seemed mostly made up of shoppers rather than the all dayers.

One of the less characterful Wetherspoon pubs. It is so named because it is on the site of the former Governor's House debtor's prison first built in 1805. But unlike other Wetherspoons conversions of periodic buildings, the problem with this one is that it later became a library, then an ironmonger and then a furniture store. So in truth it’s a conversion of a furniture store and it certainly looks and feels like it, despite the attempt to improve with the usual local information panels. There is a collection of tables and chairs on the pavement and even for a city centre ‘spoons it was surprising the collection of ‘local characters’ that was resident at 11.30AM on a Saturday morning, looking like they had been there all night so I wasn’t going to try it at first. But glad that I did because at least I was rewarded by them still having some recent festival beers available in the shape of Vienna, the Mild from the Leeds Brewery , Titanic Molly Brown Stout and O’Hanlon’s Red ale all at the festival price of £2.15, and well served, which for me was the only saving grace of this one and just about pulled it above average.

Large 'spoons with the usual array of various seating areas on different levels but no high ceilings so the place seems relatively comfortable despite its overall size. Some interesting decorative features and lots of local history panels. Good range of beer from 12 hp, with the seasonal Stoned from Three Castles Brewery in Pewsey top value at £1.99. (NB - Review dates from August 2012.)

The Old Gaolhouse page at the Wetherspoon site - www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk