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Waterend Barn (JD Wetherspoon), St Albans Central, St. Albans
St. Albans
AL1 3LE
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about Waterend Barn (JD Wetherspoon)
Waterend Barn is a Wetherspoons pub that i had problems in trying to find.
Once inside this is quite a large Wetherspoons with different areas,there is a small area facing the entrance which has normal tables and chairs,the main room is through this with the bar facing,the room is large and oblong shaped,there are normal tables and chairs to the left,but this area is set aside for diners only,the right side has tall tables and chairs for drinkers,the ceiling is very high.
There was a decent choice of guest beers on the bar,i had a drink of Haresfoot Lock Keeper's,which went down well,the other real ales noted were Haresfoot Sundial,Sambrooks Junction,Farr Brew Porter,Titanic Captain Smiths and Spoons regulars GK IPA,GK Abbot and Doom Bar.
This is only the second Weterspoons that i have visited Wetherspoons that has had a separate area for diners,Cannon Street Spoons the other.
Pub visited 24/6/2017
On 29th August 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about Waterend Barn (JD Wetherspoon)
Well-described by Pub SignMan below. I will only comment that the address is misleading as it is actually in Civic Court; from St Peters Street go behind Ladbrokes, or there is a passageway from Victoria Street by the Slug & Lettuce.
On 20th July 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Waterend Barn (JD Wetherspoon)
Hidden away a little from the main thoroughfares, to the point that I walked past the place twice before I eventually found it, this is a huge Wetherspoons pub created from two 16th Century barns which were brought to St Albans in the 1930's from nearby Wheathampstead. On approach, you pass through a fairly large outdoor patio seating area before moving into a sizable porch with a blue plaque which gives you a handy synopsis of the pub's history. You then enter into a relatively small room which connects the two barns. A laminate floored walkway passes from one bar to the other with carpeted seating spaces to either side of it. There are pleasing windows to the front and a large arch brick fireplace on the back wall, with smart wood panelling and plain mirrors rounding out the decor. Moving through to the right, you enter the large main bar/barn which has a mix of carpets and exposed floorboards and a very impressive high wood beam ceiling. High tables with copper tops fill much of the front section of the room in front of an impressive lit fireplace with a tiled chimney breast and incredible large artwork above. The servery runs down the right hand wall and, in comparison to the rest of the area, has a fairly unremarkable counter and bar back. The rest of the room has been filled with standard tables and chairs plus a couple of button backed armchairs in front of a second lit fire towards the rear of the room. The back wall was perhaps a little inappropriately covered by a massive pull-down screen which was showing a cup fixture involving local favourites Tottenham Hotspur, although the fans were thankfully quite muted. In the front left corner there is a door through to a snug-like room called the Blenheim Room - a wide, shallow space with a mix of sofa and standard chairs, providing a peaceful retreat from the main bar area. The left hand barn appears to be the smaller of the two, but that's not to suggest that it is any less impressive. It's a lighter and brighter room thanks to a row of lattice windows down one side. Standard seating pretty much fills the entire room and the barn has the same wooden framed ceiling and some massive artworks at either end.
There are plenty of handpulls on the bar here, although six of them were doubled up with 'Spoons regular ale options. Thankfully these were supplemented by six guest ales from which I chose a pint of Haresfoot Wild Boy which was in decent shape if not a particularly interesting beer. There was a huge queue running from the bar almost out to the lobby when I arrived, which I promptly ignored in order to stand at the bar like a normal pub-goer. I was then served pretty much straight away - who queues in a pub?
This is a very interesting branch of Wetherspoons and one which I'm struggling to find another similar example of. The unique two-barn layout is well worth exploring and the place had drawn a large crowd which made for a lively atmosphere. As with most 'Spoons, some interesting beer options are pretty much a given, making this a good option to include on any crawl around town.
On 22nd April 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about Waterend Barn (JD Wetherspoon)
As noted many times below this is a building consisting of two barns with a modern entrance area sandwiched in between the two. As you enter the barn on the left is smaller and is primarily for diners. It does have a small bar which wasn't operating on my visit and looked pretty boring.
There is a small seating area in front as you enter and the main barn is to the right with the bar taking up virtually all of the far wall. For those wishing to feel superior to everyone else there is a tiny upstairs area. I only noticed this because I happened to sit right by the staircase. At the right end of this barn is a large hearth with a fire that wasn't lit on my visit. At the other end on the wall is a huge TV screen that I thought was totally spurious.
It seemed to be mostly older folk stopping off for food on my Saturday midday visit.
The long bar has a set of six hand pumps with two sets of three each side. The sets of three can be ignored as they just had GK IPA & Abbot and Doom Bore. The central six had three Xmas beers, Portobello Star & APA and Sambrook's Powerhouse Porter. I went for the Portobello APA (£2.55) which was in pretty good nick.
I really liked this one especially compared to the new carbuncle in Hatfield visited later.
On 4th January 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Waterend Barn (JD Wetherspoon)
As usual in JDW outlets, not too much change here from the original review apart from it being de-branded as a Lloyds No1. I have to say that it isn’t simple to find (I was with learned company previously) as it’s tucked away behind modern shops. My visit found the world's slowest barmaid at pouring pints. My first choice of Hop Bomb was flatlining and was exchanged without fuss for Hambleton Nightmare which was in decent form, though the Hop Bomb did not appear to be taken off. Eight ales in total, not bad at all. Oddly, there’s a baby grand piano there now – does anyone play it?
July 2009
A lovely conversion of two big old barns (which actually brought to St. Albans from Wheathampstead) with open-vaulted roof trusses. Almost upmarket as far as Wetherspoons (Lloyds No 1 in this case) go - even the toilets were top-notch! A decent front courtyard area available for al fresco drinking. There was a 'local' beer festival on when I popped a couple of months back (which was basically six beers all from Rebellion and Vale breweries) so good to see a proactive management looking to promote local produce. The girl who served us was a classic Wetherspoons stereotype - 'pleasantly bumbling' - I think she'd struggle to tie her own shoelaces, bless her. There is a bit of an issue with the number of the beers being marooned away from the till area, which is irritating. Overall, in a town with so many top-notch ale pubs I'd say that this was still worth a brief visit to see what's on (outside of being charged to get in at peak times, so I hear - and if they told me to change my shoes on a Saturday evening I'd never go back and this review would look quite different…). Rated 6
On 1st August 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5081 recommendations about 5064 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Waterend Barn (JD Wetherspoon)
Somewhat hidden away behind the shops lining St Peter's Street and Victoria Street, the buildings forming this 'spoons are rather more interesting inside than the innocuous exterior would suggest. There are two main halls, with the bar in the larger one, plus the small Blenheim Room and another seating area in the central lobby. Also has a patio area at the front. Efficient service. Total of ten handpumps, with the usual suspects duplicated and a middling choice of other real ales (e.g. Thwaites Lancaster Bomber, £2.49). All-in-all, I found the ambience better than on my previous visit nearly six years ago (when it was branded as a Lloyds No 1) so rating upped accordingly.
On 26th July 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about Waterend Barn (JD Wetherspoon)
A nice looking interior as mentioned previously, the two beers I tried were very good, these being Butcombe Rare Breed and Hambledon Nightmare Stout. I too like Ray below was totally unaware of any queuing system and at the time bemoaned the slow service and general lack of awareness of the obviously inexperienced staff.
I did want to try The Sadlers Hop Bomb ,but Mr Fastard beat me to the last one , this being the case though the clip remained unturned around . In summary a nice looking interior, good (cheap) beer, and a convenient place to meet up, but still a Spoons and lacking any real atmosphere. I have been in worse.
On 20th July 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Waterend Barn (JD Wetherspoon)
Starting point to our PG summer meet up. Agree with BF, the open vaulted roof trusses are an impressive sight in here. The local daytime regulars have devised a respectable queuing system, around the middle of the main bar, which I failed to notice until after being served. I found the décor in this Spoons to be upmarket and the pub has a lot of comfortable areas to enjoy. I went for the Butcombe Rare Breed, which was an excellent choice on the day. A good starting point for any St Albans crawl.
On 20th July 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about Waterend Barn (JD Wetherspoon)
One of the more interesting 'spoons,this double vaulted barn was relocated here in the early 20th century and the interior is well worth inspecting.To the left of the entrance is an area mainly for dining,with a small bar offering keg beers and lager.The bar is in the barn area to the right with it's very impressive beamed construction fully visible.The bar runs the complete length of the far wall,while opposite up some wooden steps in a charming garret containing one round table with six chairs ,a great spot for a discrete drink.At the far end of this room is the Blenheim Room,which is just a walk through snug area with a few comfy chairs.
At the bar there are three regular ales (Doom Bar ,GK IPA and Abbott) on two sets of three handpumps while the central six handpumps have the guest ales which on my trip were Adnams Ghostship,Thwaites Lancaster Bomber,Butcombe Rare Breeds,Hambleton Nightmare Stout,Brouwerij't IJ and Sadlers Hop Bomb (a bit tired and I had the last knockings).
The outside terrace was proving popular in the hot weather,and it's worth looking around but I thought the ale options were a bit mundane compared with the very best 'spoons that champion well respected brewers.
On 18th July 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about Waterend Barn (JD Wetherspoon)
Early morning visit and was busy,.Loved the look of this place.Lots of little areas if you want peace and quiet.Great barn conversion.About 8 beers on and my beer by Woods brewery was fine.Loved the queuing system.Very civilised
On 12th May 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]