Our Pub of the Month for November is the Lord Nelson in the city centre. The building dates to the 1800s, when it was built as terraced houses, and it is recorded as selling beer from around 1854. It is often nicknamed ‘Fanny’s’, after Fanny Brocklebank, who ran it for 29 years around the time of the second world war. There are two Fannys named in the pub’s history, which may be the same person. The Lord Nelson is interested in creating a history display at the pub, so if any readers have information that could help with this project, get in touch with the pub.
The pub is located on Arundel Street, in an area of the city that still contains some of the centre’s more industrial buildings. The ground floor is roughly divided into four, with two open seating areas, the bar and a snug. Upstairs is a second bar in the games room, with a pool table and darts. This bar is open on match days and the room can be used for private events. It has occasionally hosted our branch meeting too. There is also a roof terrace with seating.
On the bar are four real ales, usually with one from Abbeydale as a gluten-free option, and the others often from breweries within about 30 miles, such as Bradfield, Ossett, Little Critters and Thornbridge – with an occasional Bass appearance for match days. The pub offers a loyalty stamp scheme: buy 10 drinks costing more than £3 and get one free.
The Lord Nelson has been owned by Stefan Lowrie for about seven years. He previously worked for the University of Sheffield and managed the University Arms. Manager Paddy formerly worked for Nottingham’s Castle Rock Brewery and has been at the Nelson for two years, managing both bar and cellar.
Sport is a focus of the pub, which is very busy on Sheffield United match days. There is usually sport playing quietly on their many screens, and the pub is home to not only multiple pool and darts teams, but also their own football club – AFC Lord Nelson. Each Sunday, the pub holds a meat and beer raffle to provide funding for the club, with complimentary pork pies and sausage rolls on offer.
Join us from 8pm on Tuesday 10 November to celebrate their well-earned award, which we’ll present at around 9pm.