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The Bluecoat (JD Wetherspoon), Rotherham
Rotherham
S60 2DJ
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Bluecoat (JD Wetherspoon)
Just for a change, an atypical 'Spoon's! Tucked away in the backstreets in an historic building, there is one medium-sized room on entry which actually feels like a pub. You have to venture further in to find the larger, more typically Wetherspoon areas downstairs and upstairs, while there is also a fair-sized patio at the back. Most notably, it has an excellent range of ales, with 9 pretty interesting guests and just Abbot from the usuals. We could happily have stayed here and worked through the pumps.
On 13th November 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Bluecoat (JD Wetherspoon)
This school conversion does rather look like an original pub. You enter into the bar area which is a smallish rectangular room with a further area on the left down some steps that I didn't venture into.
The bar has ten hand pumps which had a full compliment of the JDW Trio Of Doom, Fuggle Bunny Russian Rare-Bit, Kelham Island Pale Rider, Milestone Luck Of The Irish, Stancill Blonde, Hambleton Cherry Blonde, Hobgoblin and Saltaire Hazelnut Porter. I went for the Pale Rider which was in very good nick.
I thought this was a good Spoons. It's GBG 2017 listed.
On 22nd February 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Bluecoat (JD Wetherspoon)
This Wetherspoons pub is housed in a former school building, which has inadvertently given it far more of a pub feel than you get from the usual shop-conversions associated with this chain. You enter directly into the main bar area with the servery, comprising a wood and brick counter and standard mirrored bar back, opposite the front door. The pub is broken up a fair bit to the front thanks to various pillars and sections of wall, which mean that it's possible to bag a few tables that offer a degree of privacy. To the right is a small seating section with TV screens showing Sky News, whilst over to the left, behind some of the aforementioned pillars, a decent seating area emerges with standard tables and chairs in front of windows that give a good view across the valley outside. The building extends to the rear here, with steps leading down to a large lower level seating area with a few padded bench booths and lots of neatly arranged rows of standard tables and chairs. Stairs also lead up to a smaller, but similar seating area with modern wallpaper and a slightly cosier feel to it. A final flight of stairs brings you to a couple of sofas serving a single table, close to the toilet doors. The usual 'Spoons history boards can be found dotted around the place, including some for slightly more contemporary subjects such as local sports stars Fred Trueman and David Seaman. Warmer weather might induce you to take advantage of the limited pavement seating out the front of the pub, but no-one dared brave this in the January chill.
The pub is generally regarded as the best of the town's three Wetherspoons for ale choice and this seemed to be evidenced by all ten handpulls being in use on this visit. There was a choice between three 'Spoons regulars and seven guest ales, almost all of which were from Yorkshire micros such as Partners and Chantry. I tried the Phoenix Hopsack which sadly was not in a particularly state and perhaps should, upon reflection, have been returned to the bar.
I was a little let down by the quality of my pint, although the pub's regular appearance in the Good Beer Guide suggests I may have been unlucky on this occasion. It's clearly worth a visit for the ale range, but I was generally underwhelmed and would probably slightly favour the nearby Corn Law Rhymer if forced to pick my favourite Rotherham 'Spoons.
On 1st February 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Bluecoat (JD Wetherspoon)
The Bluecoat is a Spoons that is quite hard to find if you are not from the local area.
Once inside i had a drink in the front room which is oblong shaped with the bar facing,the seating was mainly tall tables and chairs to the right and normal tables and chairs to the left,there was a larger room down a few steps to the rear left,i also found another room up some steps.
There were 10 pumps on the bar with one unclipped,i had a drink of Stancill Barnsley Bitter which went down very well,the other beers i noted were Wharfbank Othello Gold /Tether Blonde,Milestone Rasberry Wheat beer,Osset Citra,Acorn Sue Vorte Veld,Adnams Broadside,Ruddles best and GK Abbot.
The pub was far too quiet for my liking with no atmosphere at all.
If you want to sit outside it is plastic glasses only,not sure why the customers in here seemed a bit more classy than normal Spoons types.
Pub visited 31/5/2014
On 31st May 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Bluecoat (JD Wetherspoon)
This is probably the best of the three 'Spoons in Rotherham. As described below by our boating reviewers, this is quite a pub-like venue, with 10 hand pumps. There were only a few people in, but this was early Monday evening. The usual Ruddles Best (a mis-named beer if ever I saw one) and London Pride, but no Abbot; all the other beers were from Yorkshire or just over the border in Nottinghamshire. The two we tried were in good condition, although being a Monday night it was very quiet. My Acorn Four Monkeys was not to my taste - I like their malty beers such as Barnsley Bitter, Old Moor Porter and the deliciously tempting Gorlovka Russian Stout, but I can't get on with any of their pale beers. The others I could have had were Chantry New York Pale and Mighty Millers, Kelham Island Bete Noire, Welbeck Abbey Portland Black, Wharfedale Tether and Osset Silver King. This would be a good one for a session, especially at only £1.99 a pint.
On 21st February 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3746 recommendations about 3483 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Bluecoat (JD Wetherspoon)
Larger than it first looks, with an imposing façade extended by a split-level extension to the rear. Various seating areas plus a few tables out front (although glass 'glasses' are not allowed here). Memorabilia commemorating local cricketing hero Fred Trueman. Excellent selection from ten handpumps, including Brewsters Aromatic porter (£1.99). Winner of several local Camra awards.
On 10th November 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Bluecoat (JD Wetherspoon)
The front bar is the place to drink and has a real pub feel unlike a lot of the 'spoons empire.The ale sadly was not on top form ,maybe the range is too large and slow moving midweek to maintain quality.Got chatting with the barmaid who said she used to work at Rhinos,my thoughts turned to exotic dancers before she pointed out that the Rhinoceros is the third JDW outlet in town and the pub where the local alcoholics head to once they have picked up their daily £20 allowance from a local social security scheme to keep them out of trouble.There is quite a queue at 9am over there but thankfully not at The Bluecoat.
On 10th June 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2728 recommendations about 2728 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Thuck Phat left this review about The Bluecoat (JD Wetherspoon)
An attractive Wetherspoon's with a cosy feel on first entering into the 'front bar', more so than the majority of Wetherspoons and probably due the retention of some original features and pillars. It's only when you venture behind this area that you realise what a huge building this is and the full Wetherspoon's treatment becomes obvious. There are 3 'Spoons in Rotherham and this is the real ale flagship. Ten ales were available including the standard Greene King Abbot and Ruddles along with a number from more local breweries such as Saltaire, Elland, Wentworth and Ossett. We tried an Elland Eden, Wentworth Summer Luvin' and Milestone Lionheart all of which were fine but didn't flow freely. Perhaps the drawback here is that although the choice is large and over a number of different styles we still struggled to find beers which really tempted or were truly quaffable. Despite this it's still one of the best of the chain, aided by very friendly and chatty bar staff so well worth a visit if in Rotherham.
On 10th June 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 679 recommendations about 678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Bluecoat (JD Wetherspoon)
Quite small for a JDW, although still spacious, this is one of the best pubs in the chain in my opinion. It feels like a pub, rather than a barn and the staff are almost always on top of their game. 10 handpumps with the usual suspects plus an ever changing selection of guests, mostly from Yorkshire breweries. I have to pass this pub on the way into Rotherham from the hotel, so I call in every time I'm in the town centre. I often call for one on the way back as well.
On 11th February 2009
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3224 recommendations about 3135 pubs]