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The Old Gaolhouse (JD Wetherspoon), Winchester
Winchester
SO23 8RZ
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Old Gaolhouse (JD Wetherspoon)
A below average interior, which in my opinion was quite featureless. Apart from the one table and chairs, which was positioned in the front window and resembled a tiny snug.
6 pumps doubled up serving Exmoor Exmas, Hanlons Citramas, Bradfield Belgian Blue, Maxim Brewery Santastic, Rudgate Evil Elf and Hook Norton Greedy Goose. My Belgian Blue was £2.88 a pint.
On 26th December 2023
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Old Gaolhouse (JD Wetherspoon)
Same as it ever was, though my visit seemed like a comedy sketch with a clearly knackered handpump that took an agonising few minutes to dispense a pint of Brains for another crawlee. As we sat down we were then treated to the sound of a masonry drill doing its work. Fearing another pump being worked link a hand-crank car I perhaps unwisely plumped for a bottle of hefty Belgian stuff from the fridge. It feels quite a depressing place and it was interesting to see everyone get a bit more convivial and chatty just after we’d left.
Feb 2017
As to be expected, there’s been no change internally in the last few years since I last touched down and Mullet Man continues to see how long a Spoons can go on without a deep clean and a lick of paint. Sadly the beer range was awful - all bar one of the guest beers were off and that was the none-too-lovely Caledonian Edinburgh Castle which was at least in decent nick. Now that the Albion is stocking lovely beer at cheap prices, there’s less need to come here now unless you want Wethergrub. Oh and yes, the building used to be (a long time ago) the prison governor’s residence and apparently the steps to the gallows are still in the cellar. Rated 5
July 2011
The scruffy end of the 'Spoons spectrum, with a battered mid-90’s interior; refurbishing all these pubs is gonna cost Mullet Man a fortune in a few years. This is a large low-ceilinged rambling pub over two raised levels with little natural light permeating beyond the first 10 yards and the rear is very gloomy as a consequence. Ate here twice, fine both times. All the guest ales were from Itchin Valley last time I visited in 2007 but the selection this time was much better and my Saltaire was in excellent nick, impressively so for the time of morning I was in there. Barmaid during the most recent visit was much better than the usual JDW automaton. The only real character is if you get a seat at table two next to a window which has a view of painted prisoners (graffiti style almost) whilst affording views of a metal skeleton hung internally. Odd. Clientele are quite obviously chavvy, and I thought Winchester was one of those posh places you hear about? Rated 6
On 7th August 2022
- rating: 4
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Old Gaolhouse (JD Wetherspoon)
A fairly typical ‘spoons, chosen for practical purposes for the day’s meetup. The one thing that set the place apart from the breed, was the incessant drilling, though this clearly didn’t deter the all-day ‘spoons crowd.
I didn’t have a drink as it was a bit early for me, so can’t comment on the quality, but given the building work, I’d probably have gone for a Screwdriver.
On 16th July 2022
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Old Gaolhouse (JD Wetherspoon)
A reasonably-pleasant if unexciting Spoons with a slightly rambling interior made of bits of library and lots of balustrading. It is low-ceilinged rather than one of their impressive buildings but that helps keep it relatively peaceful (at least it would have done if it wasn't for the building works). Guest ales were Brains SA, Ringwood 49er and Broadside along with the usual.
On 16th July 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Old Gaolhouse (JD Wetherspoon)
A pretty average 'Spoons, not terribly busy for a lunchtime session. Not much to add to previous descriptions, just that it's a good enough place to meet up to start a crawl, and of course there's the benefit of having the cheapest beer in Winchester. There's a downside to that - the selection wasn't great, and my pint of Broadside was not in the best condition, certainly not good enough to keep me in here. We escaped to find better beer.
On 16th July 2022
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3286 recommendations about 3251 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Old Gaolhouse (JD Wetherspoon)
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.
On 17th October 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Old Gaolhouse (JD Wetherspoon)
March 2014
Its a Spoons. Not my favourite of haunts but this one wasn't anywhere near the worst I have been in. fairly typical in its make up ,well described by Steve below,the usual banks of flashing fruit machines and clientèle were in evidence.Thankfully it was the fruit machines flashing and not the clientèle. on the positive side a rarity for me where this chain is concerned my beer was in excellent form ,Revisionist Dark IPA, and the service was actually very good and friendly, a bit of a shock.The main reason for the visit was a pre beer festival breakfast which was adequate.So all in all not too bad a place.
On 17th April 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Old Gaolhouse (JD Wetherspoon)
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.
On 17th April 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Old Gaolhouse (JD Wetherspoon)
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.
On 9th May 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2111 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Old Gaolhouse (JD Wetherspoon)
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.)
On 10th February 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]