Witherspoons Pub
 

Whats this crap I read that Witherspoons are looking again at opening up a pub in Accy town centre? The council must be bonkers to even consider it - or else they're trying to cover their own mess of trying to get tenants into the market redevelopment.

Just what will another pub - a megapub - result in? A few hundred additional delinquents around the town centre every friday/saturday night, more fights, more NHS & police bills, 2 or 3 traditional pubs around Hyndburn closed, more dereliction, more rubbish, more rats....When will we ever learn. It's enough to make you sick.

I'm going down the pub.

They are not pubs..Tealeaf, just bars where undesirables can get legless by paying well over the odds. There should be a special "Town-Centre" tax payable by everyone who goes into them, to pay for the resultant mess.

I'll go down the pub as well :cheers:

Being the occasional town centre dweller that I am. I can honestly say that I am not a delinquent, but see loads of people every week who obviously are. Maybe if we had a Wetherspoons, the delinquents would all hang out there, and leave the rest of us town centre people alone. Wetherspoons are known for cheap ale, because there's no music or other frills to bump up their prices. I have never been in a wetherspoons which has sold good cider, although the beer drinkers that I know say it's quite good, the cider is always poor quality trash.:cheers: I also happen to think that we have more than enough pubs in Accy town centre, many of which are only half full, even on a friday or saturday night, as many people regularly beggar off to Blackburn or Burnley, as I happened to notice a few weeks ago when I was in Blackburn and ran into half the population of Accy in Wetherspoons ( the postal order)

OK Lettie........I understand what you are saying. Keep the riff-raff in one place, preferably out of the town centre.......just a shame Witherspoons could'nt have got the Sacred Heart, is'nt it?

the flip side of things is jobs for local people & more money coming into the town centre by way of people making the effort to come here because there is a witherspoons - which are actually nice pubs - they dont play music at all (every witherspoons have a strict no music policy which could well keep the teenage binge drinkers away) and have no smoking area's (which may put smokers off from going but thats their choice)
I personally would like one here cos they are nice pubs to have lunch in and being a non smoker its is nice to sit in a pub and not choke on the fumes of people next to you every time you have a bite and you can hear who you are talking to because of the no music policy.
But different folks & different strokes......

Wetherspoons
 

Yeah...they are nice - in the way that MacDonalds have nice restaurants. Once you've been in one,with it's ubiquitious pinewood numbered tables, fake tiffany lampshades (that should go down well in Accy), poorly kept ale at £1.20 a pint (toilet duck tastes better) - you've been in 'em all!


OK - they create jobs. But they also cost jobs - and tradition. Witherspoon rarely takes over an existing pub (they're to small) - it's either an old bank, office ground floor or something similar.When they start selling their knock down ale (which they do through their buying power) the traditional family pubs can't compete...and they close. They get boarded up..windows get broken....The street starts to look scruffy, ..you know the story.

If you want a cheap pint & no fag smoke then get yourself a 4-pack & a video & stay at home; but unless you want to see the town more mucked up than it already is, keep clear of the wetherspoon rogues.

Oh dear who doesnt like Wetherspoons ??? what is it your afraid of ? Change ?, something new & modern ? bright lights and big pubs ???
Why cant you be happy that something modern thats a brand name may be coming to accrington ?
To be honest Accrington town centre cant look any worse than it does at the moment with the empty shops which are boarded up, some with broken windows - they look scruffy - but whats made them move away ....?? was it a bigger shop that opened close by ?? nope - no buissness thats why so whether there is a wetherspoons here or not other places will close regardless.
Just how many pub goers (given the choice) want to go out and sit in a 'traditional' pub all night when they could go to a new modern bright pub that has 'drinks offers' and other people of relevant age ??
You will always have the hardcore traditional pub goers who will still drink in the 'traditional pubs' (what is a traditional pub ??)
And so what if wetherspoons pubs have dodgy pinewood tables ? & fake tiffany lamps (those are the old ones - the new ones dont have those lamps in them or those pinewood tables) - its a pub for goodness sake - I take it the pub you go to has solid marble tables with your own private barman to serve you whilst you sit in the light of the candleabra ??? and if so then your quite right to 'slate' the decor of a big chain pub !
And what exactly is poorly kept ale ? is that 'ale' thats not kept in a fridge/cellar/cool environment and been sitting in the sun all day ??????
The reason that they can sell cheap alchohol is because they buy so much of it - like anything - the more you buy (wholesale) the cheaper you get it for.
Just because its cheap doesnt mean to say its of poor quality,
I think tealeaf mate that you should stay at home with your curtains shut when/if wetherspoons comes to town , at least you can enjoy your toilet duck in peace.

Hello Jock
 

What is it you do? Marketing Manager for Witherspoons?

If wetherspoons do such great beers, why can they not do a decent cider. I have been in many of these establishments and have never yet come across a good cider in there. Also the Postal Order in Blackburn has been desperately lacking in atmosphere the last few times I have been there. Accy town centre already has more than enough half empty pubs. I have nothing against wetherspoons, but quite frankly don't think Accy needs one, a new pub will not bring out of towners to Accy it will merely spread the buisness in town centre pubs more thinly.:alc:

not at all mate, I am looking at it from a non accrington persons point who has moved here, been out in town seen alot of your small pubs and thinks that a new bigger brighter pub would be beneficial.
sorry if I have offended anyone.
Lettie- as for the Postal Order in B/burn - have never been there so cant comment on it ,as for the decent cider.. not a drinker of the stuff so I wouldnt know a good one if it bit me on the backside !

Believe me my Scottish friend, I may not know much, but I do know cider, Strongbow is definately the most decent one, Kingston Press is passable, Woodpecker (too sweet for me) but if you like the sweet stuff is fairly decent. Unfortunately scrumpy jack, autumn gold and dry blackthorn all resemble formaldehyde (embalming fluid) and wetherspoons always seem to sell one of the last 3.
The main reason my friends and I would go out of town, would be to go to a decent club, not because a town has one decent pub. A place like wetherspoons is ok to meet up in to start your night out. You can talk to your friends without music blaring out and catch up on the chat. However, after one or two drinks the ladies like a dance, so there has to be somewhere good for you to move on to. Unfortunately, the most decent place for dancing in Accy is the Voodoo lounge, which is tiny. The club upstairs is full of kids, and I've never heard of most of the music that they play. Lar-de Dars is usually pretty empty, the 80's music at the Arcade bar used to be a laugh, but it became quieter up there when Voodoo opened.
Maybe I'm just getting old...:bootyshak

Tealeaf. were you born aged 78?

Hi.
The proposed site for the new Wetherspoons is an unused patch of land at the minute.Personally I like Wetherspoons pubs,there are very few places in Acc that allow you take children in for lunch and the Wetherspoons I have been in previously have always been manned by pleasant and helpful staff.It may also maake a few of the established pubs sit up and take notice and maybe even improve!

children should not be aloud in pubs
you go in there for a quiet drink you dont need screaming kids in there
running around

Have to admit that not many pubs in Accy centre are child friendly, but children have no place in pubs with the smokey atmosphere. There are plenty of child friendly places outside town Redcap has a childrens menu, The Game Cock, and Bentley wood Farm. Most people who go for their Sunday afternoon pint have gone there in order to escape kids ( especially the fellas) If I go for an afternoon pub meal, the last thing I want is to keep having my table knocked into by other peoples running children. I have plenty of children in my family, who I have taken out for meals and with the best will in the world kids will run around and get on other diners nerves. My Nieces and Nephews know that they will not be taken out again if they don't behave, but some people get a knife and fork in their hands and the kids suddenly don't exist any more, and when you complain to them about the kids, you end up with a load of abuse.
It's a shame really, as other countries seem to have this problem sussed, My brother takes his little boy out in New Zealand every weekend, there are plenty of places to go, and specific areas/ separate facilities for families.

I think thats why some bright spark invented 'Brewsters' the person who came up with that idea should get a knighthood !
a place where parental familys can gather and let the kids run riot ! - you know not to go for a drink in those places if your after a quiet pint or 5 !

It gets worse...
 

..so now we're talking about letting kids run riot throughout the "Pub". I give up. Well, a pub is short for "Public House", but what that's got to do with Witherspoons tat, fake paddy pubs, dodgy Aussie/American theme bars, disco pubs, nursery pubs.........all complete rubbish. It's time we brought back a proper english pub, features of which include, but are not limited to:

1) Outside bogs for both sexes. The lean-to for the blokes is a stone wall with a trough for drainage while the traps have lights that don't work. It rains whenever you nip out the back for a visit.

2) Pub divided into tap room, snug, best room. Proper smoking throughout. No women allowed in tap room.

3) Standard fittings to include 1 telly (Black & white) in taproom, tucked up in the far corner. This is so as to keep the racing fans happy on a saturday afternoon, but not so far as to distract from the main pupose of a pub, beer & conversation. Definatly no sky tv for "premiership" football to be watched by rank upon rank of neutered zombies uttering pathetic crys of "ooooohhh"..."aaahhhhhhhhh" when some overpaid plonker misses a sitter from 3 yards out. Carpet in best room.

4) Food. Hot Pie Warmer on the counter. Mushy peas on thursdays and fridays. Cheese butty's lunchtime, jam if you ask nicely. An exciting selection of light snacks( plain & cheese & onion crisps)

5) Booze. Bitter, Mild and Guiness on tap. Lager - for the ladies - bottles only. None of this "Premium bottle brand" rubbish, which is mostly fizzy water with added alcohol, so out goes the Becks, the Breezers and the rest of the crap.

6) No piped music, juke box, bandit or similar idiotic distraction.

6) Lock-in every night.

Now this is what I call a proper pub, nice, cosy, inviting. This is what we want and nowt else.

Might as well stay at home with a few can's, with a couple of mates to talk too.That would be as good as going to your local Tealeaf. By the way why do they call it a tap room?

Eh?
 

You don't like my ideal pub, then? Shame! Still everyone to their own........I suppose it's called a tap room rather than saloon bar or public bar because "tap" is easier to spell....

Here's me thinking it was because when the men had one or two to many they jumped up onto the tables for a dance, and women were not allowed in to see such a specticle because as we women know it does'nt take much for men to make a fool of themselves in drink.

Making a fool..
 

You'd never catch me making a fool of myself after a drink.....I'd remember it if I did.

Well yes, after meeting you the once i can say you are sensible in drink, maybe you are the exception, or maybe older and wiser than some.:drunk:

Mmmm,:idea: My ideal pub would have free Strongbow served to you at your table, by a good looking barman wearing nothing but a strategically placed bar towel. The toilets would always be clean, have toilet seats on them and loo paper. There would be free snacks (crisps, nuts etc.) on the bar, and everybody would wash their hands before touching them, so that scientists could not find traces of urine on them like they do.

Bar towel
 

........I've got a Thwaites Bitter bar towel. Will that do? And I always wear gloves when I go to the toilet.

:idunno: Why the gloves??

Use your imagination.

thwaites
 

Talking of Thwaites anyone know about this it was in our old house when we moved in.

How big is it..
 

..and what's on t'other side?

nothing its blank and solid brass

Is it big enough to stand a pint glass on?

i will show it you next time you are up this end of the country

See if Thwaites have an e-mail address and send the pic to them. They may give you better ideas - www.thwaites.co.uk

Thanks Neal i will take a look and see what i can find out

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

If it's any help at this late stage,I know what it is...it's a Thwaites commemorative medal type thing,I have one that I won when on a winning team in the Thwaites pub quiz league.Value;approx zilch!

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

thanks for the info about what year were they given out

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

think a witherspoons would be good for accy. been to a few dotted across the country. they are great. as for added tax. stupid idea. dont agree with that at all. we pay enough for beer as it is.

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

i would love a witherspoons in accy, us students need to save money where ever we can!

I def don't agree with added tax :( !!

ab:)

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

big up asfc babe. how much of a babe are you?

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

Good to see people discussing pubs, a great British institution.

Wetherspoons are a good idea for large towns, or for places with no decent pubs eg. Nelson, Blackburn town centre. They sell great beer at sensible prices and attract a fairly decent crowd. It's good to have a variety of decent places to drink.
The problem in England is that we have so many people who do not not how to behave in public, and town centre pubs which encourage noisy, aggressive behaviour.

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

Got a few down here, they do damn good food! :D

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

They are nothing more than soulless, barren drinking warehouses....MacDonalds with a booze license. They destroy the traditional pubs & create more havoc than they're worth. I would rather abstain than drink in a wetherspoons cesspit.

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

C'mon Tealeaf,they aren't that bad,the Postal Order in Blackburn sells loads of real ales and is highly regarded by the rea :rolleyes: l ale buffs!

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

I take it you are referring to the building that once housed the crown post office on Darwen Street? Very good....well, I remember when that was once in an area containing a variety of pubs, all with their different character & bohemie.....it was a pleasure to spend an evening visiting hostelry after hostelry on a circuit colloquially known as the "Barbary Coast"... and what do we have now? A monstrous gimmick dreamt up by an overpaid marketing man.."the postal stamp"....and nothing else.

Pass me a paper bag, please - I want to be sick.

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

mac: I'm all babe!

ab:kiss:

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

The main problem is not with the Postal Order, but with the serious decline in the rest of the pubs around that area. It used to be a great pub crawl around Blackburn - Courts, Adelphi, Vulcan, Peel, Same's Vaults ....
Now all you've got are soulless hovels full of obnoxious drunks and smack heads.

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

What happens when a supermarket opens in town? The local corner shops close down or end up as junk shops. Same thing with a Witherspoons....the other pubs end up run down, serving rubbish or closed completely.

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

i dont like it at all that all theese big companys are running the perfectly good little ones off the map... protest dont let the sh1t h3ads take over

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

Well said, Pingo....KEEP WITHERSPOONS OUT OF TOWN!

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

I know I am up against the majority here but..the majority of public houses in Accy centre are in desperate need of refurbishment;even the ones that profess to being family friendly are dark,dirty and unappetising on the whole.[there are a few exceptions]Maybe the arrival of a pub that actually operates a toilet cleaning rota and has clean glasses and a decent menu may help!The others will have to raise their game or go to the wall. ;)

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

Most will go to the wall, Linds.....the rest will go further down market. After a while, the Witherspoons pub will go down market to..that's what has happened elsewhere & thats what will happen in Accy. Less choice, more rubbish.

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

absolute tosh, where has this happened? Where ever I have seen a wspoons pub the others in the area seem to be doing equally well.

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

What planet are you on?

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

earth in the year 2004 and I don't have a problem with the world moving on :-)

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

Is'nt that what they say in "Dawn of the Dead"?

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

possibly :-)

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

Its about time we got a witherspoons pub in Accy,if they can sell ale at the prices they do good luck to em I say, nothing like competition thats what creates improvement,which I hope will be in both refurbishment and prices in the surrounding pubs.

Come on Witherspoons, i'm fed up of being charged inflated prices for ale.....

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

Why don't you just get a 4-pack, wonder into MacDonalds and order a quarter pounder? Those dumbo's in there won't notice what you're drinking and you won't notice the difference between a Witherspoons and a Mac's.

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

I do that already with my kestrel super in a brown bag :eek:

Re: Witherspoons Pub
 

You must use a straw, then.