The evening of 14th June saw us present the Bath Hotel with their Pub of the Month award and those assembled enjoy not only some good beer but musical entertainment too with DJ Alex Cooper playing 60’s motown and soul plus live music from Fargo Railroad Company & Dobra.
SUMMER OF LOVE….SOMETHING’S BREWING….. FESTIV’ALE 4.0%
Festiv’Ale is a deliciously fiery ginger and lemon tinged Summer ale at 4% made with Centennial hops and infused with bags of ginger flavour. This is number six of our top ten reasons we love the Sheffield city region. Whether you love music, literature, film, comedy, beer, making things, comedy, people, history, theatre, sport the Sheffield city-region offers a tantalising range of festivals to suit all comers. So we thought we’d celebrate with a Festiv’Ale!
The Sheffield Brewery Beer Club – diarise our next event: a weekender – Fri July 1st and Sat 2nd July 5pm – 11pm. Our fourth first Friday/Saturday back at the beginning of June was another fab weekend – and the sunshine certainly brought a fun loving crowd! Hello to all our new members. Congratulations again to our neighbours, the mighty Peddler Market, www.peddlermarket.co.uk they’ll be open again the same weekend, and will showcase another fresh line-up of Britain’s best street food traders, alongside top-notch craft beers, freshly made cocktails, live music and art. You’ve got to be there, the atmosphere is brilliant and gets better at each event!
We’re looking for small semi-acoustic bands/artists. Big thanks to Tom from Silverdale School for playing a fantastic set on the Saturday of our last beer club weekender. Any smallish bands or singers fancy playing at our Beer Club please get in touch with Pete at the brewery.
Viewing of Blanco Art Studios in Albyn Works Sat 2nd July at 2pm – Our brewery forms part of Albyn Works and the folk who run the place are opening up an area to create artist studios. This will be an opportunity to grab a space and become part of this newly formed arts workspace. At the same time pop over to Peddlers and grab a bite!
The
Sportsman, (Main Street, Hackenthorpe, S12 4LA) has recently gained a place on the CAMRA Regional Inventory of Pub Interiors and has been proposed for the prestigious National Inventory.
The Sportsman was the last pub to be built by the Worksop and Retford Brewery (plans dated, 1955 and 1956). ‘
Serious discrepancies‘ were found in the 1955 plans, 1956 seeing a successful resubmission.
The previous building was originally in the hands of Sheffield-based Old Albion Brewery who were taken over by the WRB in 1939. WRB were subsequently taken over by Tennants Brewery of Sheffield in 1958, who, in turn, who were taken over by Whitbread in 1962.
Building work was carried out by J.E.Smith (Worksop) Ltd., Kilton Road, Worksop, and the design was by W.S.Daniel, Estates Surveyor for the WRB. At that time, the pub was in North East Derbyshire (Chesterfield Rural District Council), 1973 boundary changes bringing in it into the City of Sheffield.
In the mid 1950’s, Sheffield City Council were developing the new Hackenthorpe estate, and some public house licences were transferred from the centre of Sheffield to the new estate. In October 1955, Derbyshire County Council Planning Department, referring to the licence of the Sportsman, suggested that ‘
it would appear that this should be diverted to a site out of the village and towards the estate if possible.’
Superintendent E.Wallis, Renishaw Police Station, responded on 5th.November stating: ‘
This is practicably an impossibility, there are no sites available, the Sheffield Corporation and Planning Authorities would certainly not tolerate any idea of the transferring of this house onto the new estate ….. I suggest that this plan be approved so that the work can be put into operation as soon as possible to give the increasing population the benefit of using a modern house, a wider main road and increased parking facilities.‘
The previous pub fronted the road. It was totally demolished, the front of the new build been built in the same place as the rear of the old building. The pub is remarkably little altered with three rooms, a 1985 map showing there have been no changes to the room layout since construction.
There is a sizeable entrance lobby inside the front door. This originally included a hatch for off-sales. A door on the left leads to the games room which retains a bar counter of a distinctive 1950s style, the bar back fitting and the fixed seating are both original. It now has a pool table but until recently it was a three-quarter sized snooker table. A 1972 painting of the pub is displayed above the bar.
A door to the right of the lobby leads into the lounge bar with another distinctive 1950s style bar counter, the bar back fitting and the fixed seating are original. All bars have original canopies, the shape matching that of the bar. The linked bar feeds the three separate rooms.
A door on the right hand side of the lounge bar leads into a lobby with 1950s panelling to picture frame height all around. A door leads to the concert/function room at the rear with another bar counter of a distinctive 1950s style, the bar back has more bays than that in the lounge bar and the fixed seating is original. There is another large lobby at the rear off of which are the toilets. The wall tiles in the gents ante room and toilets themselves are 1950s light blue ones that have been painted over in a dark blue colour – the gents is otherwise little changed. The ladies has modern tiles. All the doors have distinctive 1950s style wooden handles on one side (brass plates on the ‘push side’). The windows have been replaced with uPVC.
When opened the Sportsman, in addition to bottled Don Jon and Donovan would have offered cask conditioned Worksop Amber (OG 1032.5) and Best Bitter (1038.5). Donovan achieved a Diploma at the British Bottles Institute Competition in 1955 and, in 1899, was described as ‘
the Perfection of Strong Ale, Brewed October and November, specially for Christmas.’ Unfortunately, the Sportsman does not currently provide cask-conditioned beer. The hope is that this may change in the future.
Thanks to Tim Knebel at Sheffield Archives for assistance in sourcing original material.
A history of the Worksop and Retford Brewery is available at:
http://tinyurl.com/j4d34ow
In mid June, the Bath Hotel and the Sheffield Tap both achieved Asset of Community Value (ACV) status. We are very pleased to see that the only two Sheffield pubs which appear on the CAMRA National Inventory of Pub Interiors now have this added protection – congratulations to all concerned. The Manager of the Bath only discovered their achievement when, on 14th.June, she was presented with our Pub of the Month Award, the decision having been announced a few hours earlier.
However, Sheffield City Council are still not working to their statutory obligations. Decisions on these applications were due on 30th.May, not over two weeks later.
A couple of weeks earlier, another Sheffield & District nomination, the Castle Inn (Bradway), also became an ACV. This application was originally submitted on 16th.June 2015. This delay, of almost a year, is a record – no other council has had an application for so long and not made a decision. The 2011 Localism Act states that Council have 8 weeks to determine ACV applications.
However, we are pleased to note that the formal decision record for the Castle (the Cabinet Member for Community Services and Libraries) states; ‘On the evidence provided the Property is popular with the people of Bradway and neighbouring communities, but also attracts a wider community ….. It is reasonable to consider local …….. to encompass not only the local ……. community of Bradway but also a large area that could conceivably encompass all of Sheffield itself. ‘ This emphasises a point that we have made in other applications that the ‘local community’ for a public house can encompass a considerable area.
This point is further emphasised in their report on the Sheffield Tap: ‘the Property is not only popular with rail travellers and neighbouring communities, but also attracts a wider community who visit the pub as part of “beer tourism”. The use by the neighbouring groups and to an extent rail travellers collectively identifies a “local community”. Therefore, it is a venue that attracts not only the local, in the normal sense of the word, community immediately in the railway station’s vicinity but also a national and arguably an international clientele.’
Following nomination by a local community group, The Plough (Crosspool) is registered as an ACV until 29th.June 2020. Recently Enterprise Inns closed the pub and are now believed to be leasing the building to Sainsburys. ACV status means that the Plough cannot be demolished or converted without planning permission, and also that local residents are given six months to buy the property if it is put on the market. A planning application for change of use has not yet been submitted. The Sandygate Road pub is opposite Hallam FC, the world’s oldest football ground. It is believed a pub has been on the site for 400 years.
In April, both the Three Tuns and the Cremorne gained ACV status. Sheffield and District CAMRA will continue to make further ACV applications to Sheffield City Council. We are expecting their next decision on one of our applications in early August.
Dave Pickersgill
Pub Heritage Officer, Sheffield and District CAMRA
As the UK looks forward to a packed summer sporting calendar, Stancill Brewery has given a nod to the city’s armchair athletes with two new limited edition summer specials. Which promise plenty of surprises with a slight hint of bitterness thrown in for good measure!
![Three Lions [5688818]](https://sheffield.camra.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Three-Lions-5688818-300x395.jpg)
To celebrate Euro 2016, head brewer Dean Pleasant has created a true taste of the continent, paying tribute to the host nation and one of football’s greatest players with its 4.0% Zidane Zidane. Brewed using varieties of French hops; the result is a pale ale with plenty of character. The easy-drinking session beer gives way to slightly spicy aftertaste: strong head optional!
Stancill Brewery’s second offering is it’s patriotically named Three Lions. As it’s name suggests, Three Lions is an all English affair which is made using English hops – Fuggles and and some home grown First Gold – to create a refreshing summer drink and, a little like the national team, goes down quickly to leave a slightly bitter finish!
Behind the scenes, Stancill Brewery is also working on a second craft lager to complement its popular Sheffield Pilsner: More news on this soon!
Thomas Gill, Managing Director, Stancill Brewery said: “This summer is one of the busiest sporting calendars for a few years with England’s athletes, footballers and cricketers all set to take centre stage. We wanted to create a beer which could be enjoyed at any time, whether calling into your local after a kick around in the park, or cheering on the national team. We know England doesn’t have a get track record in the Euro’s, so we thought it was fitting to leave a slightly bitter finish in the beer!
“The French hops used in Zidane Zidane aren’t commonly used on their own, but the result is a refreshingly moreish beer, which I think will prove to be a popular choice during the Euro’s”
Following the story about Stancill taking on an apprentice which included a little bit of brewery history, supplied by the brewery, I have been asked a question by a few about the ‘missing link’ not mentioned in the article – why is the brewery called Stancill?
Well the simple answer is Stancill Brewery was set up when Oakwell brewery closed and the head brewer from Oakwell, Jonny Stancill, brought the kit from Oakwell to the new brewery and was the original head brewer.
Stancill Brewery will soon be opening their first pub, this is due to be announced in July.
The perfect pub for a Saturday afternoon – pick up a paper from the bar and a homemade hot roast pork sandwich; a guaranteed tranquil day.
Knowledgeable and friendly staff makes this Grade II listed pub (dating back to 1867) a popular watering hole. Inside you’ll find a remarkable tiled interior bar housing six hand pulled ales and six keg offerings, no wonder it’s listed in CAMRA’s National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors!
Rotating Thornbridge Brewery kegs such as their big bourbon barrel aged Imperial stout Eldon in addition to regular guests from the likes of Tiny Rebel and Cloudwater, sit welcomingly on the bar.
With regular pub quizzes, art exhibitions and music gigs, plus free Wi-Fi so you can check in and update friends on the beers they’re missing out on; this pub is a must visit on any city centre pub trail.
Address: 66-68 Victoria Street, Sheffield S3 7QL
www.beerinthebath.co.uk / @BeerInTheBath
Jules Gray
CAMRA’s national pub guide website, whatpub.com, is being relied on as a resource to find information on pubs around the UK by more and more people and it is increasingly important we keep the database up to date.
As with almost everything in CAMRA, it relies on volunteers and our branch is responsible for information on all the pubs in our area being maintained in the Whatpub.com database.
We know that of the several hundred pubs in our area a proportion have information that is out of date or wrong, this is where you come in as a CAMRA member. We ask that any pub or bar you visit for a drink, you look it up on whatpub.com and see if there are any errors. If there are please find out the correct information from the staff and submit an update (there is a link on the website to do this) which our pubs officer will then process.
Likewise, if you are aware of a new pub opening it would be very useful if information could be submitted to us so we can load it onto whatpub.com. Information we need includes name, address, website, phone number, opening hours, beer range, real cider availability, food offering and facilities. A photograph is always good too.
Whatpub.com aside, our annual Beer Capital Survey is coming up on 3rd September. This is where we run a number of different pub crawls around the City on the same day and record the choice of real ales and ciders along with prices where possible in as many pubs as we can. This takes the pulse of the pub and beer scene looking at the scale of variety available, which breweries and beers most commonly appear on the bars and the average price of a pint. There are a number of towns and Cities doing such an audit now and there is competition to be declared the ‘Real Ale Capital of Britain’ based on the number of different beers – so far Sheffield is undefeated in terms of pure numbers (others try to work it on beer per head of population to make their figure look better!).
Please look out for the details and join us – if we have lots of people out doing this, not only does it mean we can cover more pubs but it also becomes a more social event!
The Three Valleys Festival takes place across the Dronfield area on Saturday 4th June featuring 15 pubs and a club all with real ale. Many of the venues will also feature food and music. Entry to all the venues is free of charge.
We are running a Sheffield CAMRA branch social to this event, catching the 12:05 train from Sheffield station to Dronfield. A return ticket costs £4.60 (remember to buy your ticket at the station before boarding, it may cost more on train).
As it is getting quite close now, here is the Beer Matters guide to the festival.
Getting there:
There are a number of local bus services in Dronfield that pass participating venues, including Stagecoach 43/44 and TM Travel 14/16. There are also some free feeder buses operated by Linburg running to the festival from Totley (11:56 from Cross Scythes or 12:00 at Shepley Spitfire), Bradway (12:03 from bus terminus), Dore & Totley rail station (11:40), Mosborough (11:43 from British Oak), Eckington (11:53 from bus station), Ridgeway (11:55 from opp church) and Marsh Lane (12:00 from opp Butchers Arms).
The most popular way of reaching Three Valleys Land however is by train, Dronfield Station will be at the heart of the festival. Trains on the Leeds-Sheffield-Nottingham route call at Dronfield every hour.
Getting around:
A free festival bus service will operate from midday until 9pm linking all the venues at regular intervals (every 15-30 minutes). The buses run on two routes, both serving Dronfield Station. The station will see 8 departures per hour. route A goes to Dronfield town centre, Dronfield Woodhouse, Hill Top, Hallowes, Unstone and Whittingon Moor. (Note there will be some extra buses on part of this route badged as route C). Route B goes to Coal Aston, Hundall and Unstone.
Note that the free bus service can be very popular, some people choose to get a taxi rather than wait for the next bus. New this year is the arrival of Uber at the festival who will have a number of cars around Three Valleys Land that can be ordered on their phone app. If you are new to Uber look out for the 3 Valleys promotional code which will get you your first ride free (up to the value of £15). Other taxi operators in the area include City Taxis and Network Taxis.
Some of the venues are of course walkable. From the station it is a reasonable stroll to the Dronfield Arms, White Swan, Three Tuns, Pioneer Club, Green Dragon and Manor House Hotel.
What’s on?
Coach & Horses, Dronfield: Honey Bee Blues Club is hosting live music from 4pm featuring Alex Haynes, Ash Gray & the Burners and Black Thunder Revue. Beer from Thornbridge plus guests. Food from Chariot’s Kitchen. (Festival bus A, local bus 43).
Derby Tup, Whittingon Moor: An extended beer range will be offered featuring Pigeon Fishers, Castle Rock and others. (Festival bus A, local buses 43,44,50,50a,X17).
Dronfield Arms, Dronfield Bottom: An extended beer range will be accommodated across 3 outside bars as well as the pub bar, live music throughout the afternoon starting from 12:30 and a disco in the evening from 7pm. There will also be a pizza stall and an auction to raise funds for Coal Aston Cricket Club. (Festival bus A and C, local bus 44).
Green Dragon, Dronfield Church Street: A party in the car park with beer, cider, food and music!
Horse & Jockey, Unstone: Live music with the Watchsnatchers in the afternoon and Rachel Louise in the evening. Beer and food also feature. (Festival bus A and B, local bus 43/44).
Hyde Park Inn, Hill Top: Beer, food, music and a great beer garden. (Festival bus A and C)
Jolly Farmer, Dronfield Woodhouse: Extended Real Ale selection from the glass fronted cellar, meet the brewer, normal pub dining available plus festival food. (Festival bus A and C. Local buses 43 and 16a).
Manor House Hotel, Dronfield High Street: Abbeydale beer tent, live music from Sam Wain and food from I Love Ostrich, all outside. Normal food and drink service at the hotel bar inside. (Festival bus A and C).
Miners Arms, Dronfield Woodhouse: Beer and food, enjoy inside the pub or in the garden. (Festival bus A and C, local bus 16/16a).
Miners Arms, Hundall: A rural, scenic hillside location, tap takeover by Pictish Brewery in the pub and a great range of guest beers and ciders outside plus food by Deli-Licious and entertainment. (Festival bus B, local bus 14).
Pioneer Club, Dronfield: A family atmosphere here with a bouncy castle for the kids, ice creams, hog roast and other hot foods, music and an outside bar showcasing the new Drone Valley Community Brewery. (Festival bus B, local buses 14,15,44).
Royal Oak, Coal Aston: An opportunity to relax in a genuine, traditional village pub with a selection of classic ales. (Festival bus B, local bus 44).
Talbot, Dronfield Woodhouse: Outside bar showcasing beers from Peak Ales, Fish & Chips and live music – Rattled in the afternoon, G Men in the evening. (Festival bus A and B, local bus 16,43).
Three Tuns, Hallowes: Brewery bars outside in a marquee showcasing Barlow Brewery and Drone Valley Community Brewery, guest beers on the pub bar. Range of cider and perry available on all bars. Various food stalls serving Pizzas, lamb pittas and hog roast. Live music throughout the afternoon and evening commences 2pm. (Festival bus A and C, local buses 43/44).
White Swan, Dronfield Bottom: Beer, Cider, BBQ and entertainment. (Festival bus A and C, local bus 44).
Yew Tree, Coal Aston: Outside real ale bar, burger van, live music throughout the afternoon from 2pm to 7pm. (Festival bus B).
On the last Friday in April a group of members set out on the first of what we hope will be regular trips into Derybshire to sample the delights of some of our rural pubs.
After a quick half in the Queens Head, Pond Street, we headed for our first destination, the Moon Inn at Stoney Middleton. The recent refurbishment looked good and it was nice to see the pub so busy at 7 o clock.
Next stop was the 3 Stags Heads in Wardlow Mires. Several members went for the Black Lurcher, produced specially for the pub by Abbeydale Brewery and it’s fair to say everyone enjoyed the real fire in the back room.
The Monsal Head Hotel followed, with its spectacular views of the viaduct. With some of us outside admiring the view, we managed to avoid overcrowding the Stables bar where several people were enjoying some appetising-looking meals.
A short walk down the road took us to the Packhorse Inn, where more fine looking food kept coming past us. A good selection of ales were on offer including quite a few from Thornbridge.
Then it was back on the bus for our penultimate stop, the Eyre Arms at Hassop and some excellent local beers from Peak Ales.
Lastly we called into the Grouse at Longshaw, a popular haunt with walkers. Beers available included Pedigree and Hobgoblin Gold. Sadly we were too late to sample any of their famous steak pie.
Amazingly enough the whole thing ran to time, thanks to Kate’s cajoling, and we were back at Sheffield interchange for 11, where a few of us sneaked in another drink before wending our way home.
The ticket price included entry into a raffle to win 6 bottles of beer kindly donated by Beer Central in Moor Markets. This was won by Kathy Clark, seen here collecting her prize from Sean at Beer Central.
Everyone agreed it was a great night, and we’ll be visiting other pubs in Derbyshire regularly throughout the year in support of our new Rural Pub of The year award.
Our next trip is on 1st July and will include the District Pub of the Year award presentation.
