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The Man in the Wall (JD Wetherspoon), Wimborne
Wimborne
BH21 1NF
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Man in the Wall (JD Wetherspoon)
Located in the town’s rather smart former Conservative Club, this is a branch of the Wetherspoons chain that seems to be hugely popular with the local community. Either side of the entrance, there are two nicely appointed, wood panelled rooms that retain a bit of a member’s club feel and have been decorated with old maps, local photos and the like which makes them arguably the best spot to grab. Further into the pub, the format is more recognisable as a Wetherspoons. The servery runs down the left hand wall of a large, open-plan space with high stools and a couple of small pillars through the centre and more comfortable seating along the right hand side and on through a narrower rear section. To the left end of the bar counter, there is a nice ‘man in the wall’ sculpture and you can find an information board in the pub which explains the origin of the pub’s unusual name. The doors to the rear lead out into a pretty decent rear patio with lots of quality garden furniture and a gate at the back meaning you can access the pub from the street behind as well. The place was doing a brisk Sunday afternoon trade when we visited and I came here once before on a Friday night only to find the pub operating a one-in, one-out policy, due to the popularity of the place.
There were four guest ales, three ‘Spoons regulars and a couple of unclipped pumps on the bar on this visit. I tried a pint of their house beer called ‘Man in the Wall Bitter’, which is brewed for them by the local Sixpenny brewery. This was a lovely pint of bitter that slipped down very nicely and my father tried one of the guest ales which he also reported was in top condition.
There was concern that the introduction of a Wetherspoons into a small town with a good stock of pubs like Wimborne could spell disaster, but it seems to have worked very well, as the ‘Spoons seems to always be packed and the other pubs are all still going, with a couple of micro pubs opening in its wake. It’s not the most exciting ‘Spoons but it seems to be a decent addition to the local pub scene and worth a look if on a crawl around town.
On 2nd January 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Man in the Wall (JD Wetherspoon)
Decent 'spoons, housed in the imposing converted Conservative Club, albeit slightly odd as you can't see either the bar or the various seating / dining areas as you enter. However, having paused at the display explaining the pub's curious name, you find a conventional arrangement underneath a rear extension with a patio beer garden at the back. Not a bad selection from the two banks of five handpumps, but I went for the 'house' beer from Sixpenny Brewery (£1.35) which was first class.
On 16th April 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Man in the Wall (JD Wetherspoon)
Based in the former Conservative Club and a Grade II listed building this is one of the more grand JDWs especially compared to some of the 1990s London outlets. The tiled entrance rather resembles the lobby of an old hotel and behind it is the main bar area with the bar on the left. There is a room parallel with the entrance that has windows overlooking the main road. There are other smaller areas off this main bar area. Apparently the council would not let them build the toilets on the first floor, something I congratulate them on. I was here around 15:00 on a January Tuesday and school kids started appearing with their parents. One or two of these kids were being allowed to run riot so even posh Wimborne isn't immune from this problem.
The bar has ten hand pumps which had two available soon, two ciders, the JDW Trio Of Doom, a Sixpenny Man In The Wall house beer, Woodforde Wherry and Ringwood Old Thumper. I noticed one of the ciders was a non-mainstream one called Joe's Cider (£2.65) and it turned out to be excellent. Although the beer here is expensive for a JDW (standard guest £2.79) I noticed the Steak Club was cheaper than I had seen before (£8.25) so decided to go for that having an Old Thumper as the "free" drink and it was all good.
It's a shame about the pedestrian beer choice here as I thought it was a good JDW, certainly the best in the area. It's GBG 2017 listed.
On 1st February 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Man in the Wall (JD Wetherspoon)
An imposing building in a fine Georgian setting, once a splendid merchant's house and later a commercial venture. The front part of the pub is light and airy, the rear a much later structure, slightly gloomy by comparison but still large in feel. The staff are young but friendly and efficient. There is a carpark at the back, and a separate entrance for those who are disabled. Only three ales on, which was a bit disappointing, I had a pint of Blindman's Eclipse porter, a well-kept pint, served at the right temperature, but not my usual taste. By JDW standards it's quite grand, especially as the dosser quotient is lower than average here, and it is almost as good as the other, better pubs in Wimborne. Worth stopping in to use the CAMRA vouchers or a bite of monosodium glutamate.
On 1st June 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3285 recommendations about 3250 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Antony Wells left this review about The Man in the Wall (JD Wetherspoon)
Brand new JDW, a conversion of the former Conservative Club that still has echoes of it's former self, all dark 'old oak' type furnishings. That said, the interior is very smart and somewhat imposing, with umpteen self-contained seating areas.
All the usual JDW food and drink options. Thre are eight, I think, real ale pumps with a wide, if a little unimaginative, choice. I had a pint of Jennings Snecklifter, the pump clip was a welcome sight as it's one of my favourites, the beer itself was a bit of a disappointment, close to the end would be my guess.
It was only a short visit, just to check the place out and there is no way I will rate it at present. But, I will,as the man said, be back, so I'll give it a go later
A tip for those arriving by car, although there is a small, somewhat awkward carpark there is no direct access to the pub except for the disabled, and you are still faced with a walk to pub itself. Better by far to use the public carpark about 300 or so yards away.
On 26th January 2012
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 24 recommendations about 21 pubs]