The New Barrack Tavern has been voted our Pub of the Month for July 2014. In recent years it has built a reputation as a real ale pub and renowned local music venue. It also hosts a monthly comedy club and regular beer and music festivals, as well as special events supporting local charities and the community.
Originally a Gilmours house, the New Barrack has a terrazzo floor in the entrance/tap room/kitchen. It also has original, and distinctive, Gilmour door step, exterior tiles and some original windows. In 1936, the original stone built corner terrace pub was demolished and the footprint extended into the next-door cottage, resulting in a larger building which continued to utilise the original cellar. With the exception of the, now demolished, outside toilets, the 1936 floor plan remains: a snug, with original bench seating, a corridor bar, a large concert room and a smaller back room.
Contrary to many assumptions, this back room was part of the 1936 rebuild and is not a later addition. To the rear was originally a yard which included outside toilets. The only internal change of use is that the scullery has become the men’s toilet, with the ladies a 2002 addition at the rear of the property.
This Barracks also has an attractive award-winning beer garden which has further extended into the yard of the adjoining building. Until the early 1990’s, this neighbouring building included a shop which extended outwards towards Penistone Road. This was demolished when the road was widened. At that time, it was ‘Carter’s Sandwich Shop.’ The remainder of the building is now part of the pub and is used for storage. The concert room displays some original plans and various photographs.
Duncan Gilmour and Company Limited were established in 1832. In 1891 they were registered as a limited liability company. They were acquired by Joshua Tetley and Son Ltd. in 1954 when they owned 144 licensed houses in Sheffield and 350, plus the Windsor Brewery, in Liverpool. They ceased to brew by 1964. The New Barrack remained a Tetley pub for a number of years. There then followed a period of closure before it was taken on by, among others, Del Tilling and, later, James Birkett. In 2002, the building was taken over by Nottingham-based, Castle Rock, Steph and Kevin arriving in 2003.
We will be presenting our July Pub of the Month award, as voted for by our members, to the New Barrack Tavern on the evening of Tuesday 8th.July.
Dave Pickersgill
