The Sheffield pub scene has lost one of its great characters. L Stuart Burrows, the long-serving licensee of the Mount Pleasant on Derbyshire Lane, died unexpectedly on Friday, 29th July.
Stuart, a former Sales Metallurgist/Chemist found his true vocation when he took the licence in September, 1993. At the time the only real ale available was Tetley Bitter, but over the years he increased the range to the 6 ales now on offer.
During his tenure very little else did change however because he believed that pleasant surroundings, a warm welcome, good company, and of course, a well kept pint were what his customers wanted. He succeeded in creating a typical, traditional pub atmosphere in this small 2-roomed village local.
The kind of “improvements” introduced elsewhere were considered unnecessary. He frequently referred to the pub as being “Unspoilt by Progress”, a tagline he used as part of the title of his 2015 publication otherwise called, “The Mount Pleasant – A History of a Public House at Bole Hill Norton”.
Stuart was passionate about real ale but the fact that he had to operate within the restraints imposed by owners Pubmaster, and from 2001 by Punch Taverns, probably explained why the Mount Pleasant was overlooked for Camra awards. All that changed in June 2012 however when the pub won the branch’s prestigious Pub of the Month award and then went on to win it again in October, 2015. An even higher accolade was the inclusion of the pub in the 2016 edition of the Good Beer Guide. It will be also included in the forthcoming 2017 edition.
Stuart was a lovely man and will be greatly missed. The branch wish to extend heartfelt condolences to his family at this difficult time.
Andrew Thorpe