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The Picture House (JD Wetherspoon), Stafford
Stafford
ST16 2HL
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Picture House (JD Wetherspoon)
The Picture House is a very impressed old converted cinema. The Mosaic floored foyer still houses the old circular ticket booth in between left and right entrances that lead to a large split-level interior that descends to the bar counter that runs across the rear wall. This supports standard and premium keg alongside two banks of six hand pumps. During my midweek evening visit these were drawing Salopian’s Darwin’s Origin, Goddard’s Fuggle Dee Dum, Lymestone Brewery’s Lymestone Cowboy, Sharp’s Doom Bar, Ruddles, GK Abbot Ale and Cairngorm’s Wildcat. Looking back across the split-level seating back up towards the entrance from the bar I think gives the best views of the arched roof and décor. This place is certainly worth a look, and it is very evident why Wetherspoons have put the Butler’s Bell up for sale rather than this pub.
On 21st March 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5243 recommendations about 5211 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Picture House (JD Wetherspoon)
due to open 22/09/20
On 16th September 2020
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Picture House (JD Wetherspoon)
A beautiful picked coloured glass frontage. A breath-taking lead-in via the old ticket booth, as the walkway opens out into the old cinema area with magnificent high-ceilinged interior lovingly restored. Spoons have made the most of it here with tiered seating and the bar where the screen used to be, replete with heavy red drape curtain. Inevitably, there are large amounts of jumbo film posters from across the years on the walls. Four genuine guest ales amongst the two banks of pumps. I went for the Redpoint Disco Macaw which was in fine fettle and the best beer of the evening. The barman was a reverse cloth ear, who charged me for my order of a half but actually poured me a pint. Pretty busy at half 11 on a Thursday night and understandably so. A really good Spoons. 8.5
On 14th December 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5081 recommendations about 5064 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about Picture House (JD Wetherspoon)
Bigger than it looks from outside. Fantastic interior and where I spent much of New Year's Eve. Staff were attentive despite the crowds and got the tables cleared up quickly.
On 2nd January 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Picture House (JD Wetherspoon)
Good to see Spoons making full use of these historic buildings. Once through the main doors you enter the front cinema lobby with the original kiosk. The main cinema area is obviously on different levels as you walk down to the main bar, running along the bottom. I was in awe of the stunning and ornate ceiling and well worth calling in just to have a look at that.
Nine handpumps with nothing particularly out of the ordinary, but did manage to spot Wolf Brewery Sirius, so went for that.
On 31st August 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about Picture House (JD Wetherspoon)
This is a nice Wethers but spoilt by a rather rubbish beer selection. Your usual Wethers standard ales plus the usual available soon meant that there were only 3 beers of interest. I quite like the film posters dotted around. It is a former picture house after all.
On 20th August 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about Picture House (JD Wetherspoon)
I first came here not that long after it opened and the building interior seems unchanged. As noted below it is and old cinema where the layout has been retained. There were posters advertising film nights which may appeal to some but not me. The feature I don't recall from my 1990s visit is the attractive paved area to the right overlooking the local river. It seemed inevitable but a shame that it had been largely overtaken by the nicotine addicts.
The biggest disappointment here was the beer selection despite the GBG listing. There are two sets of five hand pumps where the two GK beers and Doom Bore were doubled up and Slater's Queen Bee was Available Soon. This left just the International Wadworth's Summer of 1842, Butcombe Rare Breed and Slater's Western APA. I went for the Slater's Western APA which despite being quite hazy was very tasty. This Spoons is a vast improvement on the other one in town but I thought it could be a lot better.
On 6th August 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Picture House (JD Wetherspoon)
First-class cinema conversion, with a large airy interior having good lighting to make the most of the rich decoration and film memorabilia set about the walls. The seating steps down several levels as you get closer to the bar, and this avoids a cavernous feel. There is also a patio beer garden to one side. Beer-wise, there is usually a reasonable selection from the ten handpumps (including a few local ales). Well worth a visit.
On 21st February 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Soup Dragon left this review about Picture House (JD Wetherspoon)
A detached former cinema, dating to 1914, now a part of the Wetherspoons chain. It has a rear patio area.
This is perhaps the nicest rennovation that Spoons have done and it was nice to return to a place i used to visit several years back. The entrance still retains the wooden ticket booth and behind this is a narrow wood-panelled room, with tables. Go through this and you will find yourself in the former auditorium. It has a balcony and it 'steps down' a few levels to reach the serving bar that spreads the width of the building at the front - a screen, complete with curtains stands above it. The decor is a touch neo-classical, with pillasters. The colour scheme is a white and salmon (i think) and wood panel, with a blue moulded ceiling, with red roundels and gold moulding. The walls have lots of old film posters and film star pictures. The usual mix of tables with chairs, stools and sofas applies here as well along with an incongruous stair lift. There are the usual silent TVs and no music. The usual curse of Spoons struck however.... nice staff but not enough of them, as i waited, watching people come after me get served, as i waited beside the pump that held my choice of drink, only to be told, when i did get served, it wasn't actually on. I didn't eat so can't comment on that.
Beer; tap stuff, with the usual Abbots and Ruddles on handpull, as well as the usual guessing game of which drinks are on, off, or coming soon. The Lymestone stone the Crows wasn't on so i had a decent enough Burton Bridge Bitter instead.
Frustrating - guess when you may get served, guess if the beer is actually on and guess the quality once you have it. A great building though, worth a visit for that.
On 14th February 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3067 recommendations about 3062 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about Picture House (JD Wetherspoon)
The Picture House is, as the name suggests, a converted cinema which has been turned into a large, open, multi-tiered public bar. The building is historic, sitting right in the town centre and clearly a magnificent venue in its heyday, and has retained its character – when you enter from the rear seats, the effect is dramatic. It’s a JDW, but is one of the better ones. Eight ales on out of the 10 handpumps on the elongated bar (where the screen used to be). I tried Lymestone Stone The Crows which was a perfectly good pint, and a pint of Slaters, also very good. This pub is highly recommended for any town centre crawl.
On 9th June 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3283 recommendations about 3248 pubs]