Pub 18, Day 5 – Sheffield Water Works Company

By Rob

So this is the first Wetherspoons to be visited during Pubquest. Inevitably, there will be a good number of these popping up later in the list because, as everyone knows, they are everywhere. My feelings towards Wetherspoons are mixed:

On the Downside –

An invasive species, like Japanese knotweed or the grey squirrel, Wetherspoons has killed off a great number of already struggling pubs. In a Darwinian show of fitness, Wetherspoons has proven itself more than able to outperform the smaller chains and individual pubs scattered across the UK. Sheffield is no exception to this.

Naturally, this has erased a good deal of character and individuality from the drinking landscape of many towns and cities, although perhaps not quite as starkly as you might think. Like some sort of body-snatching alien life form, Wetherspoons doesn't flatten pubs and erect one of their own buildings in its place. Instead, each pub adopts an individual name, often related to the premises or the local area, and the exterior stays similar to before. Unsuspecting passersby are lured in, only to discover once inside that they are within the standard ‘Spoons’ environment: A strange mixture of students, old men, and real ale lovers who come in to sample the guest beers.

On the Plus Side –

The beer is cheap. I mean, it’s really cheap. Also, there are always real ales available. We each had a pint of Acorn Darkness.

The Sheffield Waterworks building

Despite Wetherspoons being a chain of pubs, I think each one should be rated individually. The pubs are not entirely uniform and despite the identical drink menus on offer, there is more to a pub than just what it has in stock or how much it charges.

While the interior was typically uniform, it was a spacious and pleasant place. Like many of the Wetherspoons in Sheffield, this one lived inside a large and impressive building. In this instance, it was the former site of the Sheffield Water Works Company.

The Waterworks gets 6.5/10.

Pub: Sheffield Water Works Company (2 Division Street, S1 4GF)

Rating: 6.5/10

Pint: Acorn Darkness     

Brewery: Acorn Brewery (Barnsley)

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