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Henry Boons, Wakefield
Wakefield
WF2 9SR
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about Henry Boons
Adjacent to the HB Clarks brewery and owned by them,this largely open plan pub does appear at first hand to be part of the Westgate Run but there are lots of good reasons to pay a visit.The apex corner entrance has the bar immediately ahead,bench seating under the front left window and then a seperate pool room.To the right side there is an tun and stools for seating and then a seperate alcove sectioned off by wood panelling before a square seating area to the side of a walk way to doors to a seperate room unexplored by me.Above the bar is a classic 70's thatched roof,worth listing in it's own right .It was friday night and the muzak was loud ,but the atmosphere was calm.
The star of the show was the real ale from 5 handpumps with on my visit TT Landlord and Golden Best,Thornbridge Jaipur IPA,4T's Stout and an outstanding Five Towns Algorithm Dodger 8% DIPA.Thats a very strong line up in anyones book,the GBG listing is fully deserved making this a must visit on any tour of Wakey.
On 15th July 2021
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about Henry Boons
Regrettably nothing of any strength during my visit last week. I'm not marking it down as usually there is something worth while drinking and I would advise anyone to give it a try if you are in the area.
On 3rd January 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about Henry Boons
Almost looks like a cafe bar from the outside, but once you're inside it has a faux Victorian look. It's unlikely to be real Victoriana as it used to be a curry house. It's pretty well done though with some decent stained glass and some alcoves and partitions. Lots of dark wood around which gives it a traditional ale house feel. Several TVs around the pub and a quiz machine. It's owned by the adjacent Clark's brewery so the 5 handpumps on the bar were manily their beers plus a guest. My choice of Clark's Deuce was in good nick, however I was meeting up with oldboots & aleandhearty here and they both had Old Mill mild which was pretty poor. I'd happily call in again next time I'm in Wakefield.
On 3rd September 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3224 recommendations about 3135 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Henry Boons
Another Wakefield gem, that shouldn't be missed. We really enjoyed our visit here, especially the Clarks Blonde ale, a good session ale at 3.9%. with bags of flavour.
On 18th May 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Henry Boons
Solid-looking pub, with traditional(ish) furniture and decor. Partly opened out 'L'-shaped space, with a pool table at one end and a small raised seating area at the other. Unusual thatched canopy above the main part of the bar counter. Brewery housed in a separate large building to the rear. Five of six handpumps working, with H B Clarks Classic Blonde and Westgate Gold (£1.98) plus Ossett Big Red, Copper Dragon Golden Pippin and TT Landlord as guests. Handy for the main station, but would be worth a walk even if it wasn't.
On 13th March 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Henry Boons
Conveniently situated next to Wakefield train station this pub is the brewery tap for the adjacent Clarks brewery. The interior is essentially a single, L-shaped room, but the layout and a bit of semi-partitioning have resulted in three distinct areas. Entry takes you into the largest of the three, which is very pleasant thanks to an abundance of dark wood and the unusual sight of a thatched servery, which also features what looks like doors from brewing coppers built into the panelling under the counter. The area is furnished with standard tables and chairs, but further into the room there are some smart leather banquettes. Beyond the left hand end of the bar, an appealing looking space with a nice old fireplace has been filled with a pool table, which diminishes its appeal somewhat. To the right of the bar there is a large space, screened from the rest of the pub by a partitioning wall which has been made to look like it has been constructed from a pile of sacks full of hops, which creates quite a nice effect. This space includes a raised seating area in the back corner and more of those leather banquettes. There's a good amount of brewerania dotted around, especially on a high shelf, including a few barrels and many old pictures of the brewery. A large TV screen was on showing muted coverage of the afternoon’s Premier League match.
Ossett Brigantes, Castle Rock Screech Owl, Black Sheep Bitter, Timothy Taylor Landlord and Clark's Barrel of Laughs were all available, with another Clark's brew (Westgate Gold, I think) clipped but not yet ready. I tried a pint of the Barrel of Laughs, which was in good shape, if not the most memorable beer of the day.
I liked the feel of this place and can imagine enjoying a decent session in here. Its location makes it ideal for a quick pint before catching the train, or, as others have suggested, a solid starting point for any crawl of Wakefield.
On 11th January 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about Henry Boons
A 90s bar style lower exterior belies a comfortable, lived in pub with a few nice old features, although the thatched roof and the odd brass doors on the bar are probably left overs from a previous life. I visited on a quiet Sunday lunchtime so I can't offer any insights on the usual customers, remember this pub is on Westgate and is next to the station so Saturday nights could be interesting. The other customers on my visit were staff from the large government building next door, the one with the big walls and iron bars. Cask Marque listed and a previous GBG entrant the beer quality was well up to the mark with beers from Clarkes and visitors from the Black Country.
On 31st December 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3269 recommendations about 2978 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
aleand hearty left this review about Henry Boons
I still can’t cross the threshold of Boon’s without shuddering slightly, remembering its previous incarnation as the worst curry-house in Wakefield, a place so knowingly awful it made customers pay for their meals before the food arrived! However, in the early nineteen eighties it returned to being a pub once more and became the brewery tap for Clark’s Brewery, just to the rear.
Situated on the main drag running through the city centre, it’s housed in an attractive brick building complete with old style corner entrance. Internally, it’s an extended L-shape, with a partitioned main room and a second ‘courtyard’ space used as a function room and to house bands on the local gig scene. (Local theatre groups use a room on the first floor).
In the main room, there’s no denying that the incongruous thatched bar canopy is the most striking feature. It does have a certain cocktail bar tackiness, but it’s been there so long I can’t imagine Boon’s without it. The interior as a whole does feel quite dark and is composed of a mish-mash of styles, united by lots of breweriana, particularly on the high shelves. The area to the left of the bar is quite ornate and almost has a late Victorian feel with its brewery wall mirrors and fantastic old range, made by Bunker’s of Manchester. Unfortunately, the Budweiser logo-ed pool table lights and the overhead TV spoil the effect.
To the right of the bar, it is partitioned into four areas, the last being elevated and featuring a drop down screen for televised sporting events. The function room beyond has a vaulted ceiling, lots of exposed brickwork and its own stage and bar. Unfortunately, the large hop sacks, as part of yet more breweriana, do give the courtyard a slightly off-putting musty smell.
There are usually five real ales on the go. Clark’s own ‘Classic Blonde’ and ‘Westgate Gold’ are pretty much permanent fixtures along with two out of three from Ossett ‘Silver King’, ‘Pale Gold’ and ‘Big Red’. The fifth pump usually features a guest ale from further afield. It’s fair to say that quality has been a bit erratic down the years, hence the pub has dipped in and out of the Good Beer Guide. (An entry for 2009, but not 2010.) However, I have to say on my last few visits it’s been pretty good. Currently, there is Cask Marque accreditation until the end of the year. On this visit both the Clark’s Freedom Ale and Westgate Gold were in good nick and a very reasonable £1.78. The barmaid who served me was friendly and chatty, offering to top up my pint without asking.
During the day, trade is fairly quiet, but usually includes several groups of wardens, from the nearby high security jail, winding down after a shift. (God knows what the smell of brewing does to the inmates, if the wind’s blowing in a certain direction!) As the pub is on the ‘Westgate Run’ it gets a lot busier at night, particularly at weekends.
Boon’s is very close to Westgate station and one of the few decent pubs open during the day, so it’s a good starting point for a crawl in the city. Well worth a visit.
On 30th June 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 582 recommendations about 564 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about Henry Boons
Situated near Westgate station, the pub name conjures up images of a Wetherspoons or even an American theme bar but Henry Boon Clark after whom the pub is now named was initially a Kent Brewer who set up Clarks Brewery in Wakefield when he moved to the area around 1905. The pub was originally called the Green Dragon and was the Brewery's first tied house.
The pub has a knocked through L-shaped interior but is a little contrived with its thatched bar canopy and pillared shelving containing various brewery relics including innumerate beer barrels among other trinkets and collectables. There are a few intimate sections tucked behind wall remnants and pillars plus a few original features such as the marble fireplaces. One end contains a pool table that sadly blocks out an old Victorian range and at the other there is a big screen to supplement the normal TV’s largely used for sports coverage (rugby seems to take preference to footy in these parts).
The (I think) 5 hand pumps are not limited to Clarks beers but also include a range of other Yorkshire ales from the likes of Ossett, Timothy Taylor, Brew Company (Sheffield) and also one from Burton Bridge on my visit. Quality was fine and the place seemed a friendly and efficient set up but it probably wouldn’t have a universal appeal beyond its regulars and beer tourists. Being of the latter persuasion, I found it to be a more than worthy stop off and would certainly include it in any future trips to the area.
On 25th February 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Henry Boons
Three ales on the go - Clarks Mild, Blonde (it's the tap for the brewery situated directly behind) and TT Landlord. I tried both the Clarks and was impressed with the Blonde, the Mild less so (still drinkable though, though a bit cold) – both were cheap as chips, so no complaints about the pricing. The interior is a sort of L-shape with a function room running off the right hand end (there was a wedding reception on when I went in). There's a decent attempt at creating some nice individual drinking areas, with wood panelling, stone flooring and nik-naks thrown together (the bar has an overhang which is thatched) and it just about works. There was a TV with the horses on that one old boy was avidly following, along with pool and live music nights advertised. Perhaps my main gripe would be that on the grey, miserable day I popped in the outside awnings were pulled all the way, blocking much of what little natural light there was, making the place seem rather unwelcoming.
Overall not bad at all, I'd say it's worth a visit if you're in the town but it isn't necessarily worth the journey if you're happy in the Fernandes, for example. Don't let the WF2 postcode put you off, it isn't far from the town centre.
On 3rd August 2009
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]