Winter Gardens (JD Wetherspoon), Harrogate

I can see why some people may like this large Wetherspoons & its certainly a good use of a grand building, but these are the Spoons I personally don't like, a vast open space with high ceilings, filled with standard Wetherspoons furniture that do it no justice and akin to the cinema conversions they have done. A souless echoey space that has a large bar with nowhere near enough staff.

For all those drab shop converted Wetherspoons pubs seen up and down the UK, there is always the occasional gem to make you forgive and forget. Set in Harrogate's former Winter Gardens - part of the Royal Baths complex - this must be one of the chain's most spectacular houses, and that sense of awe is apparent from the moment you step off Parliament Street and through the entrance porch. On this side of the pub, you find yourself in a relatively small seating area with lots of comfy chairs under some grand stone arches and decorative woodwork features. A magnificent curved stone staircase leads you down from here into the huge main bar area, past some fine stone pillar balustrades which were draped with French and Chinese flags for some undiscernible reason. Padded banquette and standard seating is arranged in abundance either side of the staircase, underneath a remarkably high skylit roof. Moving into the centre of the room, there is an incredibly large L-shaped space centred around the bar, which sees a modern counter run down the left hand side with an unusual bar back fitted with a sail-shaped canopy. High tables and stools stand directly opposite and there is additional seating towards the rear, under some nice old posters advertising Harrogate as a holiday destination. The room is mostly covered in dark wood panels, whilst the decorative ceiling is a real sight to behold and some of the tables have built in lamps which I don't think I've seen in a 'Spoons before. Large patterned windows on the back wall look out to a pleasant rear courtyard. The fifteen hand pumps are spread along the length of the bar counter, so it takes a while to figure out exactly what is available. A good proportion were dispensing guest ales on this visit and I opted for a pint of Purity Rivet which the surly barman took an eternity to serve to me, having decided to stop midway through pouring to chat with another customer. Sadly the beer wasn't worth the wait and was easily the worse pint of the 30 plus pubs visited in my three days in North Yorkshire. One bad pint doesn't necessarily make a bad pub though and I was more than happy sat here reading my paper, admiring the surroundings and soaking up the atmosphere. This is undoubtedly a jewel in the Wetherspoons crown and might very well convert even the most ardent 'Spoons-sceptics.

Agree with Quinno, a well deserving nine awarded by me too. Apart from the magnificent space Spoons have acquired, their choice of ales on our visit were all very tempting. I went for the Evans Evans Golden Hop, a well balanced 4% good session ale, which kept me frequenting the bar for another, whilst Mrs Ale enjoyed the Lymestone Stone Cutter. The service in here was efficient and friendly, in spite of the amount of thirsty customers around the bar areas.

A magnificent JDW in the converted Winter Gardens. High ceilings, ornate decoration and a genuine element of grandeur. Having a drink at the top of the stairs by the old entrance is a pretty mesmeric experience. In this area there are also some discrete side rooms. Allied to this was an excellent range and breadth of ale - my Inveralmond Rascal London Porter was very drinkable. The bar is huge so you do need to walk around to check what’s on. To the rear is a nicely appointed patio that is a bit of a sun-trap. A superb Spoons.

Grand old place, with high ceilings above a 'L'-shaped bar. Large seating area on an indoor terrace at one end and a separate room at the other. Three banks of five handpumps on different parts of the elongated counter, offering a decent selection including Moorhouse's Old Boss (£2.45). Worth a visit just to look around, but good beer too.