The Hat & Feathers Wetherspoons

Background

Among many pubs and bars in Seaham town centre by the harbour, The Hat & Feathers is the only Wetherspoons.

Image courtesy of Alex Haney

Wetherspoons is a major chain of pubs and restaurants throughout the UK; there is one in almost every town and city in England. The Hat & Feathers is no exception; this Wetherspoons in Seaham offers everything you would expect to get in any Wetherspoons, and like every Wetherspoons it is completely unique in its own way.

This restaurant is a two-storey building and is rather large, spacious and fairly modern. It has a massive entrance that immediately opens out into a high-ceiling hall with a balcony overlooking it accessed via stairs or a lift. The bar is to the left as you walk in and the stairs to the main toilets are to the far right.

As for the history of it, like all Wetherspoons, it has a fascinating story to tell. It was built in 1960 on Church Street which was predominantly a residential area during this time. At this time, the building was home to Doggart’s department store which sold furniture, clothes and ultimately – fine hats with feathers. It had become a milliners shop during the 1900s which stretched across 57-59 Church Street. Now, it is a Wetherspoons located on Church Street not far from Byron Shopping Centre, the harbour and the seaside.

Location

The area in which this Wetherspoons in Seaham is located is a short walk to the Seaham Harbour Marina. It is also very close to the other shops including Byron Place Shopping Centre which is located down the end of Church Street. All the other shops, cafes and other places to eat and drink along the North Terrace are also a brief walk away. It is surrounded by Asda, Aldi and Lidl supermarkets and there is also a Costa Coffee right by the end of the Church Street. This Wetherspoons is conveniently near to pretty much everything else you can do when you’re out for the day at Seaham.

Food

This pub in Seaham serves pretty much anything you can get in any Wetherspoons. The food includes deli deals, their 8- or 11-inch pizzas, burgers, curries, steak meals and of course, their Wetherspoons chips! A lot of their dishes come with a drink included too. Other food includes breakfasts, desserts and side dishes.

Drink

They offer refillable hot drinks; you just pay once at the bar to get a cup and refill it as many times as you like with any hot drink. They have a hot drink machine that serves coffee, cappuccino, latte, mocha, hot chocolate etc at the press of a button. Tea is also available by filling your cup with hot water at the machine and helping yourself to teabags which are kept along with sugar, sweetener and a milk jug by the machine. This self-service hot drinks station is available at all Wetherspoons.

Their selection of beers includes a variety of guest ales all from breweries local to the area. The Hat & Feathers often serves beers made locally to Seaham area. All the other alcoholic drinks include a fridge fully-stocked with craft beers from around the world, wines, cocktail mixers and premixed cocktails. There are plenty of drinks on draught including lagers. They often have deals on special drinks such as gins and cocktails; you can also buy a pitcher.

They also have a massive selection of non-alcoholic drinks including all the soft drinks served on a post-mix or in bottles. These drinks include Pepsi Maxx along with lemonade and soda water. You can get slim-line tonic as well as ordinary tonic and tonics of different flavours, including elderflower. There is also a chilled water dispenser with small glasses for people to help themselves to glasses of still water to stay hydrated.

To see the full menu click here.

Accessibility

This Wetherspoons in Seaham has a lot of points of accessibility for people with physical disabilities, learning difficulties and autistic people.

Wheelchair Access

The entrance to the pub is wide with heavy double doors made with glass. All of the flooring is flat and even and most of it is carpeted. It is important to note that there are a couple of steps to get to the bar area, which is all slightly raised higher up. Wheelchairs can still get to this area via a small ramp with a handrail, which is directly ahead from the main entrance inside the low-ceiling area.

Toilet Facilities

There are disabled toilets downstairs, towards the back of the low-ceiling area. Main toilets are located upstairs which includes the males’ and females’ toilets. There are quite a lot of stairs to get up, but there is a handrail on both sides and the stairs are wide and not too steep.

Inclusive Menu

As with all Wetherspoons, The Hat & Feathers in Seaham has a selection and variety of meals of varying portion sizes and nutritional value. The menu also mentions the calories in each meal and drink. All meals on the menu also provide information on vegan/vegetarian friendly food and allergens. As well as the food, the bar is also stocked with non-alcoholic drinks.

Outdoor Space

There are outdoor seating and tables at the front of the pub, out on the high street.

Indoor Space

The indoors of the pub is spacious; they have seating space with the option of sitting in a high-ceiling or low-ceiling room. There is seating near the bar area, as well as right by the entrance and near the stairs to the toilets. People have the option to sit on high stool chairs at high tables or ordinary chairs at lower height tables.

Table Service

As with all Wetherspoons, The Hat & Feathers in Seaham is partially table service; people have the choice to order at the bar or order using the Wetherspoons app on their phone. The food and drink ordered via the app will then be bought straight to your table and you don’t have to get up at all. People can also help themselves to condiments in separate locations in the pub including salt, pepper and sauces.

Child-Friendly

This Wetherspoons in Seaham is also child and family-friendly. It serves food of appropriate portion sizes for children and babies on both the main and a separate children’s menu. The bar also serves child-friendly drinks including soft drinks (Pepsi Maxx, lemonade etc,) and water as well as orange juice and fruit juice. The pub also provides highchairs for babies and toddlers which are found stacked up in various locations inside the pub.

Parking

The nearest parking area is Green Street Car Park, which is a short walk from Wetherspoons. This car park is ideal for parking if you’re visiting the shops at Byron Place too. Other parking around Seaham includes the car park opposite Aldi, where there are charging stations for electric vehicles. You can use Aldi’s car park free of charge, but there is a maximum stay of 2 hours. A lot of places in Seaham have recently started charging parking fees.

Public Transport

There are plenty of bus stops where you can catch a bus to and from Durham, Sunderland, Gateshead and Newcastle. The nearest bus stop from Wetherspoons is at the Interchange. There is also the train station, which is within walking distance. Trains can be caught here from Sunderland, as far as Newcastle or Peterlee and as far south as Middlesborough.

Conclusion

We hope that you have found this listing helpful in your search for disability-accessible pubs and restaurants in County Durham and Seaham. This Wetherspoons in Seaham is also near to other venues listed on this site including Hidden on The Harbour.

For other accessible Wetherspoons in the North East, see these listings:

• Stanley Jefferson (Bishop Auckland)
• Bishops Mill (Durham)