Church House, City Centre

Tucked away behind the main road near Sheffield Cathedral you will find the Church House, a lively pub in a Grade II listed building. The building was originally constructed in 1860 by the Church of England Educational Institute, an organisation formed in 1839 to promote the education of young adults. Over the next hundred years or so, the site was used for various purposes before being converted into a pub around thirty years ago. At that time, the bar was known as the Ferret and Trouser Leg, a name that can still be seen today in the glass panel above the doorway. The following decades saw a couple of new names, including the Priory and the Sanctuary, before the pub was bought by Star Pubs in 2012. A change to the current name and a comprehensive £220,000 refurbishment followed, including restoration of original features, exposing the brickwork and the installation of history boards and beer-bottle chandeliers. The erstwhile Mayor of Sheffield, John Campbell, was invited to conduct the reopening ceremony in November that year. The Church House today attracts a variety of customers. Four real ales are on offer: Theakstons Lightfoot and Robinsons Trooper are always available, while beers from local breweries such as Bradfield and Kelham Island come on the pumps at weekends and during busier periods. There is also a wide range of lagers, ciders and bottled drinks, along with coffees and teas and an interesting food menu. There are plenty of events going on: on Tuesday nights there is a weekly board games club, Wednesday night is open mic, and there is live music (mostly alternative and rock) every Friday and Saturday. You can find the Church House at 4 St. James Street, Sheffield, S1 2EW. It is a 30-second walk from the Cathedral tram stop, or there are numerous buses that also stop nearby.