A disused Sheffield city centre pub is set to be re-opened as a live arts and community media centre following acquisition for Sheffield Live!, the city’s community radio and television operation. The neighbourhood is undergoing major renovation including plans for a new urban park to open next year.
The plan is for the former Tap and Barrel, (42 Waingate S3 8LB), to be renovated to accommodate radio, TV and podcasting studios, a public cafe and bar, and performance space for local artists and promoters. Sheffield Community Media, which hosts Sheffield Live! radio and TV, has purchased the former public house with the support of social investment lender, The Key Fund. It plans to raise further investment from a community shares issue to refurbish the bar and performance spaces.
Steve Buckley of Sheffield Community Media said: “Acquisition meets our long held ambition to find a space for live performance, community arts and social enterprise that can integrate with our broadcast media facilities. We are inviting people to get involved and we welcome expressions of interest in use of the space and contributing to the project.”
Sangita Basudev, co-founder of Sheffield Live! said: “We are excited to be moving to this iconic location, on the site of Sheffield’s former castle and opposite Lady’s Bridge, the first bridge across the River Don. With Castlegate now part of the city centre conservation area we look forward to developing our role in promoting local heritage and connecting communities.”
Sheffield Community Media has benefitted from support with concept design from the University of Sheffield School of Architecture and has been assisted by Co-ops UK in developing the investment model. It looks to build on these and other partnerships as the project progresses.
The pub has had several previous names: Boulogne Mouth, Bull and Mouth, Boulogne, Tap and Spile. Opened in 1790, it is believed that the original name was a reference to the town and harbour of Boulogne which was besieged by Henry VIII in 1544–1546. Over time, the name became the Bull and Mouth.
In March 1854 it was acquired by Sheffield brewery, Thomas Marrian & Co. Ltd. It was rebuilt in 1914, as the brewery tap for local brewery Duncan Gilmours. Plans show a multi-roomed pub with a Central Bar. The building retains a Gilmours doorstep and has the name, ‘Bull and Mouth,’ in the mosaic floor of the vestibule adjacent to Waingate. 1973 saw an opening out of the pub: the servery was moved to the right side, with the Hall, Public Bar and Smoke Room becoming a large Lounge. The Concert Room remains at the rear of the pub. The pub was refurbished in the early 1980s and again in 2015. It was renamed the Tap & Spile in early 1992. The Tap & Spile brand was launched in the mid 1980s by Allied Lyons (later Allied Domecq) as a traditional-style concept, focusing on cask ales. Interiors often had bare floorboards, sawdust on the floor and wooden benches. The pub became the Tap & Barrel in 1998, closing on 4 July 2023.
