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Disappointment of the week with Tris39
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Detail Pages
The Muggleton Inn (Lloyds No 1), Maidstone
Maidstone
ME14 1HJ
Pub Type
Lloyds No. 1 (J D Wetherspoon)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Graham Coombs left this review about The Muggleton Inn (Lloyds No 1)
A vast Spoons in an rather splendid old building, as described below. Sadly the service in the downstairs bar was poor, so we ventured upstairs only to discover there was only the trio of doom there, so back down and queue for the two guest ales (Jaipur and Acorn Golden Brewer). Visiting both floors revealed that the packed clientele were almost entirely twerlies and mostly eating, so the various empty pubs visited elsewhere in the town really need to open their eyes and get their act together. The place itself just needs an improvement in service and some better ales.
On 11th January 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Muggleton Inn (Lloyds No 1)
This is quite a grand Wetherspoons pub set across two floors in a sprawling building in the heart of Maidstone town centre. The ground floor has quite a large, single room with the servery over to the right, plenty of mixed seating throughout and various forms of partitioning, including some nice decorative moulded pillars, that help break up the room and make it feel less like a drinking barn compared to sister pub The Society Rooms. The bar is lit by a skylight above the counter, which is of the traditional dark wood panel variety and has a matching bar back. There are plenty of impressive polished stone and dark wood fixtures and fittings throughout, which add a sense of grandeur. To the rear, there appeared to be some sort of patio garden area, but I didn’t explore properly. Heading upstairs, you find a two-room, first floor bar and lounge, with each room separated by the servery and connected by a walkway at the far side of the bar, and by the stairs, which continue upwards towards the toilet block. The bar up here has a nice bevelled counter and matching traditional bar back, which I presume was lifted from another pub. The room is carpeted and has large windows along the front wall, which look down to the High Street outside. Impressive chandeliers, a couple of modest fireplaces, muted Tv screens and large bookcases full of fake books, added to the mix of grand decor and typical ‘Spoons fixtures.
On the bar, just the two guest ales along with the three usual ‘Spoons cask options. I tried the Wantsum More’s Head, which took quite some effort to obtain thanks to a scatty barmaid who couldn’t get her head around how to process a half pint ordered with a meal deal. Anyway, it was in pretty good nick when it was eventually plonked before me, and the grub was of a higher standard than usual too - I think I got the biggest portion of chips I’ve ever had in a ‘Spoons here.
I quite liked this place, which makes good use of the old insurance office building it inhabits, to create something markedly different from your average High Street ‘Spoons. The service could’ve been a bit sharper and an extra guest ale or two wouldn’t necessarily go amiss, but overall impressions were good and for me, this was easily the pick of Maidstone's two Wetherspoons.
On 29th December 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Muggleton Inn (Lloyds No1)
A superb and elaborate building, apparently once the host to The Kent Insurance Company and then their subsequent successors, the interior has been sympathetically refurbished to provide an agreeable interesting space to enjoy a pint. Large arched windows, internal also arched openings, detailed plasterwork and elaborate moulded ceilings.
The pub is over two floors, the extensive first floor area accessed via a period dark wood staircase and which has its own bar but with a limited selection. A void over provides a galleried view to downstairs.
The main room is large and runs back a long way eventually to a bit of outdoor space which serves the nicotine needy.
The beer range wasn't great, the usual suspects from a JDW plus a pair of "coming soon" however they did have about three guests on, my visit was seriously enhanced by the sublime Old Dairy Snow Top, just the job on a cold and bitter day. Another Dairy beer was on the coming soon list so to me that is promising.
On 12th February 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Muggleton Inn (Lloyds No1)
Gives the impression of having returned to being a regular 'spoons these days, but there is little different in the large interior on two floors since the refurbishment. The main bar has a fairly standard seating area at the front but gets narrower and very gloomy as you further back past the main servery, and the mood here isn't lifted by the charmless behaviour of some of the place's more devoted patrons. The best seating is upstairs, where the two partly opened-out rooms along the main frontage - joined by a small secondary bar - have an open feel (particularly the tables by the windows when these are open during periods of decent weather). There is also another seating / dining area further back which is generally the least occupied if you are looking for a quiet meal. Just three handpumps at first-floor level, so you usually need to go back down to the main bar for the range of typically six beers from two banks of five handpumps. So, a limited choice, but you can usually find something of interest e.g. my pint of Nick Stafford's Hambleton Ales Nightmare (in good form and excellent value at £1.99) on my latest visit.
On 23rd May 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Muggleton Inn (Lloyds No1)
This one is set in quite a grand old building and underwent a refurbishment in the later stages of last year. I believe that may be why there was a banner outside proclaiming that it was still open.
Although this is still badged as a Lloyds No 1 on the JDW web site all the windows had Wetherspoon signs, in fact I failed to spot any Lloyds No 1 branding. The What Pub opening hours vary from those on the JDW site where it says they shut at midnight on Friday & Saturday and 23:00 the other five days. As I was here on a Friday lunchtime I have no idea which is correct!
Inside it's a vast room which is quite light at the front but narrows into something of a dark cave at the back. There is an upstairs area that I didn't bother to look at. The bar has two banks of five hand pumps with a beer selection that although not brilliant was far from being a disaster. GK IPA & Abbot were doubled up then there was Doom Bore, Maxim Maximus, Spitfire and Rockin' Robin Red Best. An International Brew by Caledonian and Westerham British Bulldog were available soon. I went for the Maximus (£2.20) which was very good value as it's a 6% ABV beer and was in good nick. I preferred it here to the Society Rooms but I don't really think that either of the Maidstone JDWs are that great.
On 4th May 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Muggleton Inn (Lloyds No1)
The Muggleton Inn is a very big Wetherspoons with upstairs and downstairs bars. I counted ten hand pumps on the downstairs bar that were drawing the usual JDW brews and some guests. Some of these ales are repeated upstairs and both bas dispense standard draught. The beer is cheap as is the food.
There is a beer garden out the back with some covered seating.
I thought that this place was a bit big for its own good and I didn’t warm to the place.
On 3rd October 2012
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5233 recommendations about 5201 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Muggleton Inn (Lloyds No1)
A typical JDW installed in a a large, rambling old commercial building, full of character, in the centre of town, spread over two levels with many staircases and rooms. Quite a grand building, but the overall impression is let down by the carpeting and the 1960s-style decor and lighting, and far too many gaming machines. Of the 10 handpumps, only 5 had ale on plus one had a cider. I had a pint of Harveys Yellow, which was in good condition and nto over-chilled. A decent place to hide while the wife does the shops, and worth including in a crawl.
On 8th November 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3281 recommendations about 3246 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about The Muggleston Inn (JD Wetherspoon)
A vast and comfortable Wetherspoon's pub on 2 levels, Downstairs is large and noisy with upstairs being small and quieter. A good range of real ales in good condition. In the town centre.
On 18th January 2009
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]