The Victoria Hotel in Heeley has reopened. The new management is Dan, who has previously worked at the Fox & Duck, Blind Monkey and Cremorne. There is currently no real ale but there is a hope that will change when the pub company, Punch Taverns, get the bar & cellar refit done.
The Castle Inn at Bradway has reopened after the previous business operating the pub, which is leased from Stonegate, ceased trading. The new management, who are also involved with the Millhouses, have returned it to being a community local rather than a gastropub, although they are serving food. They have also introduced entertainment, including a retro music & quiz night. Real ale continues to be available.
In the run up to Christmas, the reopened Harlequin on Nursery Street, near Kelham Island, recorded their 100th different cask ale on the bar.
The Mount Pleasant in Norton Lees has been run by the same family for a fair few years now and has remains a friendly and traditional multi room community local with real ale. Unfortunately in recent times the pub has been losing money and the keys are being handed back to its owner – Heineken Star Pubs – at the end of the current lease period in February.
The Ship Inn at Shalesmoor is another leased pub where the keys got handed back to the pub company – this time Admiral Taverns – as the previous management no longer considered it viable with increased costs. It isn’t all bad news though – the pub has now reopened under new management with two real ales on the bar and live entertainment planned.
The Peacock at Owler Bar is no longer part of the Chef & Brewer chain, having been taken over by Longbow, the Peak District based hospitality venue operator. Other venues they run include the George in Hathersage, Maynard in Grindleford and Ashford Arms in Ashford-in-the-Water. They are describing the Peacock as a pub that ramblers, families, foodies, and locals alike can call their own serving exceptional food without the faff, championing locally-sourced ingredients and pouring perfectly-crafted drinks with a smile. Cask beer from local breweries including Thornbridge is on the bar.
The Cross Scythes on Derbyshire Lane, Norton Lees, is welcoming back live music on the last Saturday of every month during 2025. They also host a regular acoustic jam session on Thursdays (7.30pm prompt!) and an American Blue Grass jam on the last Wednesday of the month.
The Rose & Crown in Wadsley has reopened with the lease taken on by Lisa who was previously assistant manager of the Cross Scythes in Norton Lees! The pub is dog friendly and Real Ale is available on the bar – usually Bradfield Farmers Blonde plus another beer on the Heineken list such as Timothy Taylors Landlord or something from Theakstons. Food traders have been outside the pub for some special events but in the future the plan is for food offering to be provided by a third party caterer renting the pub kitchen.
The Rutland Arms in Sheffield City Centre closed for 2 weeks at the start of January for a refurbishment. This involved new floor, carpet and toilets.
The Old Nag’s Head in Edale closed between 6 and 22 January for maintenance.
The Red Deer in Sheffield City Centre closed 6-8 January for a cellar refurbishment. The pub is leased from Heineken’s Star Pub company.
The Railway at Wadsley Bridge closed from 6 to 19 January for maintenance.
The Boston Arms in Woodseats closed from 6 to 9 January for painting, fixing and cleaning.
The Dog & Partridge in Sheffield City Centre closed 18 to 24 January to get the painters & decorators in.
The Tunnel Tap micropub in Totley now serves pies on Fridays and shows movies on the first Sunday of the month.
The Old Shoe in Orchard Square, Sheffield City Centre, has applied for a licence for the upstairs space to convert it from a staff/storage area into a second bar. We assume that it will be used for special ticketed events such as private tastings and meet the brewer/producer sessions.
When Guinness announced that despite producing industrial volumes of the stuff there was a shortage of keg beer available to export to the UK with UK customers rationed, it sounded like a PR stunt that was announced every year just before Christmas, however things got real at the Dog & Partridge, an irish pub in Sheffield City Centre, with no Guinness available on tap on New Years Eve and landlord Conor describing the ordering process having similar vibes to trying to get tickets for Glastonbury festival! Those wanting a dark beer didn’t go short though as craft brewers came to the rescue – on keg was a nitro stout from Whiplash brewery in Dublin as well as an Irish style stout from Abbeydale Brewery whilst on cask a porter was available.
GloryHoles adult minigolf & bar on Sheffield High Street appears to have closed down. It is unclear whether this is permanent or for a refurbishment.
Olivia’s Townhouse on West Street closed down but is expected to reopen in a new guise.
The Botanist in Leopold Square has closed, although the Furnace restaurant at Charter Square (which is run by the same company) is reportedly to be converted into a branch of Botanist to replace it.
The Commercial in Chapeltown hosted a beer launch with the “Ale & Audio” podcast. As the audience for the podcast is principally people that drink in their own “pub shed” at home, they recorded an episode in the shed in the pub’s garden that is a distillery! The beer was brewed by Overtone and was called “Gimme Some”. Meanwhile on a more routine basis at the Commercial, the weekly chip butty nights and monthly whisky tasting events continue and they also now have a pie night on Thursdays – plus as ever a great range of ales!
A new micropub has been proposed in Neepsend in a former gaol building more recently used as an electricity substation on the junction of Burton Road and Hicks Street (near the Old Workshop bar). The planning application is from Tribeka Developments and the working name of the bar is Burton & Hicks.
