The iconic Ship Inn in the Kelham Island quarter of Sheffield opened her two hundred year old doors again in a VIP opening on Thursday 24th September. Guests were awed by the transformation, remarking that The Ship Inn was well and truly ‘back on the Kelham trail’ as they enjoyed local brews in one of the oldest pubs in Sheffield, preserved with restored original features.The Ship opened for business the following day, offering the delights of real and craft ale; freshly brewed coffee; Artisan snacks; free Wi-Fi and a fresh modern twist.
Owners, pub company, Hawthorn Leisure, recognised the importance of reviving the Ship Inn with her history and pride of place in Kelham Island, and injected a six-figure cash investment. Working with local design duo, Phil Doughty and Kirsty Waldren from Concept, many of the original features of the pub have been retained, including the unique brown tiles on the outside and restoration of the original tiling on the inside, which builders found hidden beneath decades of paint. The Ship Inn is now a light, bright space crammed with the history of a traditional pub and the comforts of a modern venue. Guests can recline in mismatched retro 60’s armchairs whilst admiring artwork displaying the history of Sheffield, and pondering what beverage to sample from the extensive list of craft beers, cask ales, wines and spirits. Presenting 11 continental lagers and craft beers on tap such as Schiehallion Premium, Brewdog IPA,Noble, DNA and Brooklyn Lager and over 30 varieties of bottled craft beer, the Ship Inn is set to become the number one choice for enjoying a quality pint with friends and family. Cask ale enthusiasts will be delighted with four hand-pulls on rotation, sourced from local breweries such as Kellam Island, Sheffield and Abbeydale Breweries, with international guest ales making an appearance in regular intervals. A discount of 20p off a pint is available for CAMRA members on cask beers.Opening from 10am, coffee lovers can also pick up their morning brew of choice to sit in or take away with free refills until midday. A range of grade one organic, fair-trade gourmet coffee (100% Arabica beans) sourced from Indonesia match perfectly with the patisseries such as the New York Vanilla Cheesecake and Lemon or Chocolate Tarts.Premium wines and spirits accompany the craft choices so customers can expand their knowledge and drinks repertoire, alongside a list of winter cocktails, expertly made by the extensively trained bar team, such as The Ales ‘n’ Berry, Root 66, The Cornstar, Mojito with a Twist and Ride on Thyme.Complementing the offer will be a range of tasty Artisan bar snacks; Deli Boards & Sharers and delicious Hot Dogs, including Artisan Cheese Dog and Kentucky Cheese Dog, as well as a choice of classic salads such as Caesar and BBQ Chicken. The Puccias, a wood fired Italian sandwich, comes to Sheffield with options such as BBQ Pulled Pork & Kaleslaw, Pulled Ham Hock with Piccalilli, and a vegetarian choice with Sun blazed Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Pesto. The Ship Inn is headed up by general manager, local Christy Beardshaw, who has over 20 years experience in the drinks industry. Christy said: “Pubs have so much history and are the focal point of the local community, bringing people together. It’s a wonderful thing that we’ve managed to preserve so much of the Ship Inn – it has been standing for almost 200 years and even survived the flood caused by the Dale Dyke dam burst in 1864. The word excited doesn’t being to cover how I feel about reopening this iconic pub.“Equally, I can’t wait for customers to explore our beer and spirit range; we’ve carefully selected products that we think will appeal to a wider audience, tantalize taste buds and offer customers the option to explore new drinks, finding themselves a new favourite.”The Ship Inn will be offering customers entertainment with weekly events including Wednesday Quiz Night, where customers can win exploratory beer hampers filled with goodies and receive complimentary bar snacks. Each person will pay 50 pence to take part and the proceeds will be donated to Western Park Cancer Hospital.
