The John Russell Fox (JD Wetherspoon), Andover

I assumed when arriving at this place that it was a shop conversion but apparently it was the offices for the local rag. As noted below it's a typical JDW with a wider area for food at the front then the bar area and another food area at the rear. It was doing a good trade on my Thursday early afternoon visit. The bar has ten hand pumps which had the JDW Trio Of Doom, GK IPA, Caledonian Edinburgh Castle, West Berks Dr Hexter's Healer, Maggs' Mild & Mr Chubb's Bitter, Flack Manor Cracker and White Horse Village Idiot. I went for the Dr Hexter's which I'm not sure was as good as it could be but was drinkable. I thought this was a fairly average JDW but at least there was no beers doubled up or available soon.

One of those larger-than-it-initially-looks 'spoons with several different seating areas as you go further back. Apart from the preserved Intertype machine near the front, there is little to say about the interior apart from the fact that the furniture and decor is relatively light and helps avoid too oppressively a feel as you move away from the windows. Reasonable selection from two banks of five handpumps, including a pair from Flack Manor (e.g. Flack Catcher, £2.49).

Unmistakeably a Wetherspoons, blue signage, all doors across the front street face, bar towards the rear, light wood furniture of mixed types, part carpeted, those odd screens/shelves, old photos and information boards of local interest, old newspapers as well, low staffing levels although this lot are quite friendly and quick; tables in the middle at an angle, leather sofas at the front; oh and no beermats but the usual ephemera of menus and other stuff littering the table. There are a few more machines than usual for JDW and the low rent customers aren't as noisy as in some 'spoons, the more refined customers were, well, normal drinkers. The beer, on 10 handpumps, was well up to scratch on this occasion and the outside screened off area free of nicotine addicts.

Official page of The John Russell Fox - www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk