“PEOPLE often come in for a drink or a meal before heading over the road to watch a show.”

The Obediah Brooke - our T&A Pub of the Week - sits opposite Cleckheaton Town Hall, where shows ranging from musicals to concerts attract audiences throughout the year.

Manager Mike McDonald is accustomed to seeing the pub fill up with customers enjoying pre-show food and drink.

“We get a lot of families in particular, having a night out - they come here first and then go across to the town hall,” he says.

Part of the JD Wetherspoon stable, the Bradford Road pub offers a varied menu with classics including steaks and hand-battered fish and chips. “Pizzas and sharing plates are very popular too,” says Mike, who has been at the helm for six years. “And we have a range of options for kids - pizza and chicken nuggets are among the top choices.”

The pub is named after local man Obediah Brooke who, in the late 18th century, owned a large field near the pub, one of several pockets of land owned by the Brooke family. These were enclosed around 1795, with many taking the names of their owners. A century later, the Brookes owned the town’s flourishing tannery.

The family name lives on in nearby Brooke Street.

The hostelry first opened as a Wetherspoon in November 2000. In 2018 a refurbishment costing more than £700,000 saw the pub reopen with a contemporary interior incorporating traditional features.

The design scheme was inspired by local woodland and the carding machines used in the textile industry, with which Cleckheaton and the wider Spen Valley is associated.

JD Wetherspoon also bought the building next door, a former bank, allowing it to expand its floor space.

Outside there’s plenty to cheer about too, with 30 tables attracting customers in warmer weather. “We serve a lot of cocktail jugs when the sun shining,” says Mike.

Three permanent ales - Abbot, Ruddles and Sharps’ Doom Bar - are accompanied by five rotating cask beers from Yorkshire breweries: Kirkstall, Little Critters, Acorn, Daleside and Rudgate.

Having been with Wetherspoon for 12 years, The Obediah Brooke is Mike’s first posting as manager and one he relishes. “I am really enjoying it. The job can be challenging, but rewarding at the same time. In pub management you cover everything, from stock manager to front of house, back of house, the kitchen - there’s a lot to it.”

And there’s more to the pub than eating and drinking: Tuesday morning sees around 30 locals gather for bingo. “It’s really popular - people come not only for a game but for a coffee and a catch up with friends,” says Mike.

And on Tuesday evenings there’s a quiz and a session of Play Your Cards Right hosted by Olivia Kay. “We have just started the quiz nights, and more people are turning up every week.

“We’ve got a few things coming up later in the year too, including a rum tasting night and a gin tasting night," adds Mike.

The spacious pub is also a popular choice for social gatherings such as birthday parties and hen nights.

*The Obediah Brooke, 19 Bradford Road, Cleckheaton, BD19 3JH

jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/west-yorkshire/the-obediah-brooke-cleckheaton