CAMRA is well known for promoting good beer and pubs, but at its heart it is a consumer organisation, campaigning for Better on several fronts. Not least of these is value for money, especially in these cash-strapped times. Beer writer Richard Hough took a look at the varying price of one particular beer across the city – Thornbridge Jaipur. He writes:
In one mad week earlier this year I undertook the Jaipur Jaunt. After three days’ intensive ‘research’ I took Thursday off.
FRIDAY.
Tucked away on Victoria Street in the City Centre is the Bath Hotel, a modest Victorian end-of-terrace pub. Appearances can be deceptive; inside is a wonderful unique interior dating from 1931. A sensitive refurbishment in 2001 kept the integrity of the pub, and gained national recognition. The Bath is a Free House with 6 beers on hand-pump, one of which is Jaipur. It’s not cheap though, at £5.50 a pint. The quality was top-notch (the pub regularly appears in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide).
A short hop on the 120 bus took me to the Francis Newton, an impressive Georgian-style building near the Hallamshire Hospital. Broom Bank Hall was built in the 1820s for Mr. Newton as his family home. He was a wealthy businessman in the cutlery industry at a time when Sheffield became known as ‘The Steel City’ and I quote: “At the height of its powers in the mid-19th Century, the region manufactured 90% of British Steel, and nearly half the entire European output”. It became a pub in 1995 – older readers will remember The Aunt Sally – before being acquired by Wetherspoons in 2010. Thornbridge beers often feature, with Jaipur making the odd appearance. Cask is £1.99 a pint Mon-Weds, with prices rising later in the week. Don’t forget to use your ‘Spoon voucher.
Back on the 120 to the Itchy Pig on Glossop Road. It is a true micro-pub in the former butcher’s premises – hence the name. Unbelievably, the Itchy is 10 years old this year! An ever-changing range of cask ales from independent breweries is available, with beers rarely duplicated. Today, the stars aligned; Jaipur had just come on, and very good it was too. All cask is £4.80 a pint, and the pub offers a loyalty scheme – buy 10, get one free. So the more you spend, the more you save. Kind of… So ended Friday’s Jaunt, with a very interesting contrast between the three pubs. Check them out yourselves.
SATURDAY.
First thing, I checked the fixtures list, to make sure there was no football being played at Hillsborough. (And for the sake of balance, there was none being played at Bramall Lane, either). The Rawson Spring is a large open-plan pub right on Hillsborough Corner (and I mean, if you tripped off the tram, you’d land in the pub!)
The original spring (named after local benefactors the Rawson family) used to supply fresh water to the nearby Barracks. The Walkley & District Baths were built in 1926, and remained in use until 1991. It then became The Deep End, a live music venue. In 2007 it was taken over by JDW and opened back out to reveal the character of the original baths. A century on, the fine neo-Baroque façade remains. Jaipur was £3.40 a pint, 50 pence off with your voucher, and cheaper still earlier in the week.
Back into town for the final stop of the day – The Sheffield Tap. They don’t make pubs like this anymore! It is a grand affair in the former first-class waiting room of Sheffield (then Midland) Rail Station. It is believed that the King at the time stepped off the train and took refreshment here. The ornate tiling dates from 1904. Twelve hand-pumps adorn the bar; Jaipur is a regular and £5.80 a pint. Pricey. Definitely worth checking out are the award-winning ales from Tapped; the on-site brewery can be viewed up close from one of the most impressive pub rooms Sheffield has to offer.
SUNDAY.
The day the banks don’t open. Unless, of course, they are a pub in an old bank building, like, say, the Bankers Draft on Castle Square. The York and County Bank was built in 1904. It had an Aberdeen granite façade, a pair of large bronze gates, and made extensive use of Italian marble – they did stuff properly back then! It was Midland Bank for over 70 years. JDW took it over in 1996. It is a typical ‘Spoons on two levels, with plenty of info displayed regarding Sheffield’s rich history, be it the Home of Football, steel production, or Mary, Queen of Scots. Jaipur was £2.49, and the perfect accompaniment to a full English breakfast. 50 pence cheaper, voucher, etc.
I finished with a flourish at The Fargate, another former bank. In 1889 it opened as the Yorkshire Penny Bank, a land-mark Sheffield building. Recently, Thornbridge & Co spent a tidy 7-figure sum restoring it, retaining the splendour, and turning it into a fine boozer. Look out for the formidable bank vault doors on display downstairs, or tackle the spiral staircase while clutching 3 pints! There are 10 cask ales on hand-pump, five of which are Thornbridge. It is bang in the middle of the City Centre, so never cheap; Jaipur was £5.50 a pint. The quality was good. So ended the Jaipur Jaunt.
Richard Hough