Category: Awards

The Crow Inn is our members’ Pub of the Month winner for September. Originally a Rawsons pub, it first opened in 1797 as the Crown Inn. The pub has been part of various local historic events, some of which can be read about in books by local historian John Stocks and our own heritage officer, Dave Pickersgill. 

Reopening in 2019 in its current incarnation, the Crow sports a logo of its namesake holding an ‘N’ in its talons. This, along with the Crown mosaic in the entryway, are the main reminders of its former name.

The Crow has two main rooms, one either side of the entryway, both with banquette seating on three sides. The bar is central opposite the entrance, and there are seven ensuite rooms available upstairs. To the side and rear is a small courtyard for outside drinking.

On the bar is a selection of 17 keg lines, and three real ales. They also have a St Bernardus font, which was the first one in the UK, so have good draft Belgian beer available constantly. There is a large selection of wines and spirits, and home made sausage rolls (pork, and vegan sage & onion) are available in the fridges.

The Crow has a film quiz every third Thursday of the month alongside other events like tastings and tap takeovers are advertised on their social media channels.

Join us for a drink to celebrate the Crow Inn’s award on Tuesday 8 September from 8pm. We’ll present them with their certificate at around 9pm.

Just a few minutes on foot from Edale station in the western reaches of our branch area is the Rambler Inn. Originally built as a farmhouse in the 19th century, the Rambler was subsequently converted to a pub. They have 9 en-suite rooms which are often used by walkers on the Pennine Way National Trail or Kinder Scout, and a self-catering cottage onsite too.

There are 2 fair sized snugs off the main bar, which have log fires during the winter. There is a larger dining area with a smaller room to the rear, which can also be used for dining – or for meetings, like our July branch meeting. We received a warm welcome from the pub and it went on to win the pub of the month award for August, in our special summer ‘Derbyshire’ edition of the award.

The outside has superb views taking in hills and the Hope Valley railway line with lots of benches to the front and a large garden and covered terrace to the side. Dogs are welcome in the garden and bar rooms, though not the upstairs guest rooms – the Rambler operates a ‘muddy boots and paws welcome’ policy.

Operated by the Dorbiere Pub Group under the management of Jo and Chris Doyle, the Rambler features five handpumps in total. The permanent options are Timothy Taylor Landlord Abbeydale’s Deception, and house beer Kinder Downfall (Theakstons). At our July branch meeting these were complemented by Titanic’s Plum Porter and Squawk’s Pavo.

Special events are organised from time to time including folk music, quiz nights, themed dining and a family fun day is planned for 16 August with bouncy castle, tug of war and more!

Please join us at the Rambler Inn on Tuesday 11 August at 8:00 PM for a few drinks and to present the team with their well-deserved certificate.

The Fargate opened in the centre of Sheffield in October 2025, to much fanfare. It is a joint venture between Bakewell-based brewery Thornbridge, and York-based beer importer and pub operator Pivovar.

The building was constructed by the Yorkshire Penny Bank, and opened in 1889. The upper floors were occupied by the Albany Hotel, a ‘temperance house’ which provided an alcohol-free environment. Fortunately for us, well over 100 years later you can now finally purchase real ale from one of ten pumps on site.

A lengthy £1m renovation was undertaken on the building prior to the Fargate opening. The ground floor is high-ceilinged and decked out in dark wood with an impressive central horseshoe-shaped bar. There are several booths, banquette seating and a snug, all with leather seats. A spiral staircase leads upstairs to a rather different space with more contemporary seating and reclaimed wooden-panelled walls. A pizza kitchen upstairs serves food to the whole pub. In the basement, on the way to one of the bathrooms, you can spot the former bank’s vault which is still in place and used as storage – the Fargate is home to perhaps the safest beer in the city. In May they added several outdoor tables to the front, where drinkers can catch some afternoon sun.

A staff of around 25 under manager Adam Swithenbank and deputy Kieron Lake serve the 300-capacity pub. Across the ten cask lines, six are Thornbridge’s own with the remainder being guests. The 16 keg lines are split with Thornbridge having half, and the remainder divided between some guest craft beer and other lagers or wheat beers. 

The Fargate is a welcome addition to the town centre, in an area which is still undergoing major renovations. Join us to celebrate their award on 9 June from 8pm.