Category: Pub of the Year Winners

The Red Lion Inn is a Grade II–listed public house located on the village green in Litton, Derbyshire. The building was converted from three miners’ cottages into a pub in 1787, and over 200 years later in 2024 it was taken over by Tomas and Kristina.

The property was added to the National Heritage List for England on 12 July 1967 in recognition of its architectural and historic interest.

The interior has a traditional layout, with small rooms, exposed stone walls, wood panelling, and open fireplaces. They also have two guest rooms which can be booked for overnight accommodation.

The kitchen offers a menu of traditional British dishes and operates daily, with a break in service during mid-afternoon Monday to Thursday.

Cask ales from Derbyshire and South Yorkshire breweries are regularly available – on a recent social we enjoyed beers from Acorn and Eyam. 

The Red Lion hosts quiz nights on the first Monday of the month, and other community activities which are advertised on their website and social media. From time to time bigger events are held such as their Oktoberfest celebration last September.

Join us for the award presentation at 3pm on Saturday 18 April. We have a Peak District social on that day which will be calling there, alternatively you can get there on bus 65 (Sheffield-Buxton) or bus 173 (Castleton-Bakewell).

The Chantry Inn has been voted as Sheffield and District CAMRA East Area Pub of the Year for 2025.

This historic pub which was built around 1250 is uniquely one of only four pubs in the UK set in consecrated grounds being within the boundary walls of St Mary’s parish church in Handsworth.

It comprises of three different rooms each with some original and unique features including real fireplaces, beamed low ceilings and even the bell pushes used in previous days to order the ale. There are also claims of various tunnels and passageways from the cellar to the church. 

It has had a varied past originally being a chantry and safe house for nuns, then a washhouse and a school before being a pub for much of the later years from the early 1800’s.

Previously known as the Cross Keys, Chantry Brewery acquired the pub in early 2019 and undertook a tasteful restoration and deliver real quality beers. There are always 5 cask ales on tap from Chantry brewery with a rotating special alongside the regulars of New York pale, Iron and Steel bitter, Special Reserve and Diamond Stout. There are also changing keg beers available often from Abbeydale, Tiny Rebel or Beavertown as well as real cider and Chantry brewery’s own Helles lager. 

Congratulations to all involved with the Chantry Inn including the brewery and the pub manager Terry and his partner Alison. The area pub of the year award presentation is planned for the evening of Thursday 21st May from around 8pm onwards and all are welcome to join the celebration.  

You can find the pub at 400 Handsworth Road, S13 9BZ. The nearest bus stop in on the main road near the pub and is served by buses 30, 30a, 52, 52a, 70, 70a, 73, 95, X5.

ALL THE AREA WINNERS

• Sheffield North: Blake, Walkley
• Sheffield City Centre: Dog & Partridge, Trippet Lane
• Sheffield South: Sheaf View, Heeley
• Sheffield West: Rising Sun, Nether Green
• Sheffield Kelham Island & Neepsend: Kelham Island Tavern
• Sheffield East: Chantry Inn, Handsworth
• Sheffield District (Derbyshire): Red Lion, Litton
• Cider: Old Shoe, Sheffield City Centre
• Club: Crookes Social Club

Our 2025 Pub of the Year for Sheffield city centre area is the fabulous Dog & Partridge on Trippet Lane in central Sheffield. The pub has been run for over 13 years now by Sarah and Conor Smith.

The pub itself dates back to 1796 – one of the oldest still operating in Sheffield, and is on the CAMRA Local Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.

On the bar are 4 cask lines, usually including at least one Abbeydale beer (which is Gluten Free), with a choice of a bitter, a stout and 2 paler options. There is also a central column of 4 craft keg lines, and a further 8 keg lines for lagers, ciders, and the ‘Holy Trinity’ of Irish Stouts; Guinness, Beamish and Murphy’s.

The pub offers a range of events including a quiz night every Tuesday followed by ‘Irish Bingo’. There are music sessions on numerous days.

They also offer an Irish pub food menu including a ‘spice bag’ inspired by Ireland’s chinese takeaway menus as well as specials.

They are really racking up the pub awards including ‘Exposed’ Best traditional pub award 2025, The Great British Crawl pub of the year winner 2025, Pints of Sheffield Battle of the Boozers champion 2025 and member of the Guinness Harp guide 2025 as well as their CAMRA award.

Join us on Tuesday 28th April 2026 at around 8pm after the quiz finishes for the presentation of their award.

You can find the pub at 56 Trippet Lane, S1 4EL. Nearest tram stop is City Hall.

ALL THE AREA WINNERS

• Sheffield North: Blake, Walkley
• Sheffield City Centre: Dog & Partridge, Trippet Lane
• Sheffield South: Sheaf View, Heeley
• Sheffield West: Rising Sun, Nether Green
• Sheffield Kelham Island & Neepsend: Kelham Island Tavern
• Sheffield East: Chantry Inn, Handsworth
• Sheffield District (Derbyshire): Red Lion, Litton
• Cider: Old Shoe, Sheffield City Centre
• Club: Crookes Social Club

Our overall 2025 Pub of the Year – and also Kelham Island & Neepsend Area Pub of the Year – is the outstanding Kelham Island Tavern. The Kelham Island area has become a Sheffield beer destination in its own right, easily accessible from the city centre by bus and tram.

Constructed in the 1830s as part of a terrace, the building originally operated as The Sawmaker, later becoming The White Hart, and in 1995, The Kelham Island Tavern. It closed in 1999, and the derelict building was purchased and reopened in March 2002, with a focus on real ale.

Over the last 22 years, the pub has gone from strength to strength. Since 2019, under the management of Josh and Louise, it has continued to offer a wide range of both cask and craft beers – always including a stout, porter, and a selection of IPAs and bitters. The beer range is consistently excellent, always featuring at least one from local brewery Blue Bee. The pub also boasts an excellent rear beer garden and maintains the standards to which many others aspire. A simple snack menu is available, including pork pies.

Kelham Island Tavern was the first pub to be named CAMRA National Pub of the Year two years running (2008 & 2009), and has been CAMRA Yorkshire Pub of the Year five times. It has also taken the title of Sheffield Pub of the Year on 18 occasions – a record that’s unlikely ever to be overtaken.

Please join us on Tuesday 8th July as we present these well-deserved awards to Josh, Louise and the team.

The winner of this year’s Sheffield North Pub of the Year is The Commercial in Chapeltown.

The pub itself dates back to 1890 when the area was becoming a sought after suburb. It was originally built by Strouts Brewery of Neepsend, a long standing brewery in Sheffield. Currently the pub is owned by Paul Menzies and wife Kate. They have Paul Harrison as Bar manager, assisted by Karen Layton and Sarah Fretwell.

The venue is affectionately known as “The Commie,” with visitors coming from Barnsley, Rotherham, Doncaster and Leeds to sample its charms. The bar is well stock with 8 cask ales and a cider on handpump, and as the pub is so popular, these change regularly with the beers coming from brewers both locally and nationally. It is also home to keg beers, and a large number of Whiskies. They are also home to Sheffield Distillery which produces gin and vodka onsite.

The pub has 3 rooms, a spacious drinking/eating area, a small snug which is ideal for meetings or conversation, and a games room with a pool table and sports TV. As a community pub, they host regular live folk sessions and beer festivals.

Food is provided by Sarah, including the legendary “Chip Butty” nights where you can find a variety of toppings for them. We are presenting their award following our branch meeting on Tuesday 3 June. The meeting starts at 8pm, followed by the award at 9pm.

Buses 2 and 2a pass the pubs front door or the 83 and 86 serve Chapeltown centre (followed by a short walk up Station Road). There is also a regular train service at Chapeltown station, between Sheffield and Barnsley, with a path through from the north end of the platforms towards the pub.

The winner of this year’s award for Pub of the Year for Sheffield South is Heeley-based Brothers Arms. Originally named Ye Olde Shakespeare Inn, which can still be seen in embossed letters on the front of the pub, it was taken over in 2014 by 5 members of well-known local ukelele legends the Everley Pregnant Brothers. 11 years on and it is still run by the same 5 people, with one of them, Richard Bailes, acting as Manager.

As well as a good range of well-kept real ales the judging panel for the award particularly liked the community focus within the pub. Regular quiz nights, music nights, and art events cover a range of interests, providing a great meeting point for local customers. And of course there’s a few prints on the walls from local artist, and one of the original five “Brothers”,  Pete Mckee.

Visitors from further afield are also encouraged with the Brothers Arms being part of the “Heeley Triangle”, along with the Sheaf View and White Lion. The three pubs are starting to promote themselves collectively, and we can certainly confirm it’s a great pub crawl for real ale fans.

As a nod to the past the pub has some new artwork about to adorn their walls. As well as a number of old photos of the pub, there’s a list of all the landlords who have run the pub for the last 200 years, along with the name of the reigning monarch during their tenure. Originally put together by the Fox family who ran the pub through the 50’s and 60’s, it has been brought bang up to date, and a new version printed ready to hang on the wall.

Our presentation takes place on Tuesday 13th May, during the half time break in the quiz, so why not pop along to lend your support and maybe join the quiz, which starts at 7.30. See you there!

GETTING THERE: 106 Well Rd, Heeley, Sheffield S8 9TZ

Buses 10, 10a, 20, 24, 25, 42, 43, 44, X17 to London Road (by Ponsfords)

Buses 18, 18a, 73 to Spencer Road / Richards Road (near Heeley City Farm).

Bus timetables, maps and live tracking visit travelsouthyorkshire.com or bustimes.org.

A careful restoration of the original Ind Coope 1930s interior gave this two roomed pub a conservation award in 2002 and acknowledgement by CAMRA as one of Britain’s pubs with a three star pub interior of exceptional national historic importance. The bar lies between the tiled lounge, a small corridor drinking area and the cosy well-upholstered snug. The owners, Brian and Ruth Johnson, have been on the Sheffield pub scene for many years – although not necessarily high profile – and after about 10 years of the pub being leased to Thornbridge Brewery, Brian is back running the pub with a team of staff. The Bath is a simple drinkers pub with friendly service and is somewhere to sit with a nice pint of local ale and enjoy conversation or perhaps a game of darts. It also has some community focus with occasional music events and the smaller of the two rooms being available to hire for meetings etc. 

The Bath is one of the more atmospheric of Sheffield’s pubs. They always offer a wide range of excellent well-kept real ales from both local and further afield breweries as well as several keg beers.

Join us from 8pm on Thursday 29th May as we present the well earned certificate.

The Oxbow Micropub opened its doors in January 2020, taking over what was once a kitchen showroom. It was founded by a group of friends who had long dreamed of running their own pub. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, they successfully navigated those early years and are now open every day – thanks in no small part to a brilliant team who help make the Oxbow such a welcoming place to enjoy a drink.

The Oxbow offers a relaxed and friendly environment where everyone is welcome. It features three cask lines and seven keg lines (often including a cider), along with a varied selection of bottled and canned beers and ciders. The beer is sourced from both local breweries and further afield, ensuring there’s something to suit every taste.

The interior is cosy, and there’s also an outdoor seating area. The canopy roof was damaged during the storm in early 2025 but is due to be repaired soon. Please note the pub is a cashless venue.

There are regular tap takeovers and specialist beer events, alongside visiting food vans and a pub quiz every other Wednesday.

The pub is easy to reach via Stagecoach bus 52 or First bus X5, both of which stop nearby. If you’re travelling on the 52, do allow a bit of extra time as the pub is at the very end of the route.

We’re looking forward to presenting the award on Tuesday 10th June at around 8.15pm – please do come along and join the celebration!

On the night the Oxbow will be offering 15% off their normal drinks prices (excluding cans) and Smith’s fish & chip van will be coming along and serving outside. Note the bar shuts at 9pm due to its residential location so get down early!

Congratulations to Garry and the team at the Rising Sun (471 Fulwood Road, S10 3QA), winners of the Sheffield and District CAMRA, Sheffield (West) Pub of the Year 2025.

Owned by Sheffield Beerworks EOT Ltd., the Employee Owned Trust which also includes Abbeydale Brewery, the Riding Sun has been an Abbeydale community pub and dining room since 19^th December 2005 when the brewery took over from the University of Sheffield Union of Students. The Union had run the building for just over 23 years. Previous management includes the Sheffield & District Public House Trust Co.Ltd. and John Smiths Tadcaster Brewery.

The original pub opened around 1860. The name refers to pubs which face east and receive early-morning sun, as did the earlier Rising Sun. The current pub opened when the, then, owners, the Sheffield Town Trustees agreed to provide land for the widening of Fulwood Road to Sheffield Corporation in return for the demolition and reconstruction of the original pub. The current building opened in July 1904. Abbeydale carried out an extensive refurbishment in 2014.

There are two comfortably furnished rooms with a log burning fire between the main bar and the glass roofed extension. The large beer garden includes covered, heated areas. The pub is also both child and dog friendly. Quizzes are on Sunday evenings.

In 1914, the Sheffield and Rotherham Red Book and Almanac (p.407) stated that: ‘many pleasure seekers finding this suburban house very convenient for the supply of general refreshments.’ To-day, the situation is similar: the pub provides 13 cask beers, including a large Abbeydale range, together with several rotating guest specials across both cask and keg. There is also an ever-changing cider selection, a carefully curated wine list, a large range of quality spirits and plenty of non-alcoholic options. In addition, the creative, seasonal food menu aims to showcase the best of British produce and sees the pub working with a host of local suppliers. 

We hope you can join us for the presentation on Wednesday 16^th April at 19:00. 

The “District” bit of Sheffield & District branch is the part in Derbyshire which includes Killamarsh, Ridgeway and a big chunk of the Peak District National Park, predominantly the Hope Valley, out as far as Millers Dale and Edale. As with the Yorkshire pubs in Sheffield, a number of judges go out and score the two pubs that came out top in the members vote to pick an overall winner, which gets put forward into the North Derbyshire entry round of the national competition. Our District winner is the Old Hall Hotel in Hope. The venue combines a pub, restaurant, tea room and bed & breakfast accommodation with the bar offering a range of cask ales plus an extensive selection of scotch single malt whiskies.

Our festival secretary Jess Cawley, reports on his visit:

Join us for the award presentation on the evening of Tuesday 29 July. Regular trains run from Sheffield to Hope and bus 272 also goes there.