The Spread Eagle
The 'Spread' is one of the trio of popular pubs in the town centre and one of the few in the area that do dinnertime food (but not in the evenings). It is on the oldest photographs
of Penistone but had a long history even before the arrival of photography. Former landlady Theresa (Cliffe, at the time) says that there is a ghost. The pub had a major refurbishment towards the end of 2010 and now has cleaner lines which makes it feel more open and the furniture looks to be new. Kirsty continues to do an excellent and attentive job behind the bar.
As with the other town centre pubs, the Spread is always throng on Friday and Saturday evenings. It is also popular on Saturday afternoons with punters who shuttle between here and Chuck McBurney's bookies next door and it is often busy on Sunday afternoons. New for February 2011 was hot food and drinks during dinnertimes, including Sundays. As a vegetarian, I was delighted to find my favourite on the menu: egg, chips and garden peas. It was good too, plenty of peas with two eggs and the chips were of a traditional style; nice and chunky. Another customer said that he had eaten there twice before and was looking forward to his third meal. When I checked, Sunday dinner (noon to 4pm) was either steak or pork.
The front benches are popular in summer and give a great view of the passing public and boy racers at Shrewsbury Road junction, who skid a tyre or two for public acclaim. The back yard is a beer garden and small car park, with access from Back Lane and the new market area. The beer garden has been tidied up in keeping with the new businesses close to the market place. John Fieldsend from Australia says that it is still called 'Fieldsend's Yard', from his great-grandfather who was a previous landlord.
On the way in, a 'snug' room with a TV lies beyond the door to the right of the main door (not shown here). It is popular with the older customers. The main bar room is spacious and light. It has comfortable seating and a flat TV on the wall which is good for watching the racing and footie. It used to fairly dark before but the windows are much brighter these days. An adjoining pool room is at the back. The 'Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffalos' a.k.a. 'The Buffs' (509) used to meet upstairs on Tuesdays. The middle two pictures on the bottom row are from 2005 but the last one is from February 2011. The harsh reds have given way to a more pastel pink and with less clutter on the walls.
Another guestbook commentator, Ryan Nolan, says that Lauraine Nolan (his mother) is the the current landlady. Hygiene Rating. Telephone: 01226 762025
