Category: Heritage

Sheffield Real Heritage Pubs

Posted on by Dave Pickersgill

The 4th edition of the Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs Book arrived from the printers in late September (1000 copies, A5, 112 pages, £6.99 rrp). Compared to the third edition, this edition includes ninety new images, plus many text changes.

Paul Ainsworth, the Chair of the National CAMRA Pub Heritage group says; ‘For almost forty years, CAMRA has developed its national inventory (NI) of historic pub interiors. These highlight the crème de la crème which have either escaped much alteration or contain features of exceptional interest. We are aware that below the NI are a host of interiors which still offer a great deal worth seeing. The pioneering work carried out in Sheffield to locate and record these pubs has been an inspiring exercise. This publication portrays the rich tapestry of Sheffield’s pubs: from the nationally important to those where what remains, even if fragmented, should be cherished. A bonus, of course, is that many of these pubs sell great real ale.’

At the time of writing, the following local outlets have agreed to sell copies directly:

  • Abbeydale Brewery
  • Bath Hotel
  • Beer Central, Moor Market
  • Beer Inn Print (mail order)
  • Biblioteka, Kommune
  • Bradfield Brewery Shop
  • Crow Inn
  • Dog and Partridge
  • Fat Cat
  • Friendship, Stocksbridge
  • Kelham Island Books and Music, Shalesmoor
  • Maison du Biere, Elsecar Heritage Centre
  • New Chapter Books
  • Rhyme and Reason
  • the Sheffield Shop
  • White Lion

Copies will also be available at four book signing events which are part of the Sheffield Beer Festival on tour event.

If you want to stock copies to sell or order a copy, contact pubheritage@sheffield.camra.org.uk

The 4th edition is also now available as a free download: https://sheffield.camra.org.uk/SheffieldsRealHeritagePubs.pdf.

Pub heritage book update

Posted on by Dave Pickersgill

The fourth edition of the Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs is scheduled to go to print in mid-September (1000 copies, A5, 116 pages). For details of pre-orders and retail possibilities, please contact pubheritage@sheffield.camra.org.uk. The second edition was available as both a printed version and a free download. The third edition is currently available as a free download at sheffield.camra.org.uk/rhp. Full details of local availability will be available in the next edition of Beer Matters.

Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs 2021 Fourth Edition

Outstanding Conversions and Restorations

Posted on by Dave Pickersgill

For almost half a century, CAMRA has worked to identify, support and protect the UK’s most historic pubs through its national inventory: pubs that are wholly or mostly unchanged or retain important historic rooms or features from over fifty years ago.

Since then, hundreds of pubs have been restored or created in buildings previously used for something else. There have also been new-build pubs that are worthy of admiration and recognition. The Outstanding Conversions and Restorations (OCR) Project identifies and promotes such interiors of outstanding architectural and/or design quality, pubs which are great places to enjoy a drink in splendid surroundings.

The website ocrpubs.camra.org.uk highlights almost two hundred pubs from across the UK that are magnificent conversions or glorious restorations. There are also stunning new builds and a handful of pubs in museums.

As Project Manager, Gerry Hahlo, puts it; ‘all these pubs are the work of dedicated individuals, and pub companies who know the value of excellent design and have created great spaces in which people want to drink and socialise. Some show off their architectural merit by sympathetically converting historic buildings such as banks and cinemas while others recreate painstaking replicas of the glories of yesteryear.’

One example is a former Tetley house, the ex-Firwood Cottage (Sheffield S6 2WA): the Blind Monkey opened in Spring 2018 after a period of closure and deterioration. Dating back to 1846, the building was originally a small village shop that sold bottled beer. It later became a pub. Over the years, it was opened out from smaller rooms into an open-plan design. Taken on by Speakeasy Company, the owners of the nearby Don Valley Brewery, the derelict shell was gutted, and the interior was taken back to the multi-roomed 1890s: most materials used are reclaimed items dating back to the Edwardian and Victorian periods.

Gordon Jones, Director, describes the project as, ‘a labour of love. We wanted to showcase both our architectural and design skills. We rebuilt; we divided the once-open snug area by glass partitions to display whiskies. The fireplace and chimney were opened-up and a reclaimed parquet flooring was renovated and laid down in the main areas of the pub, complemented by original tiling near the bar areas. We also used reclaimed light fittings sourced from as far as Mumbai to as near as Manchester.’ 

The Blind Monkey is an outstanding restoration. Our image, the Old Bank of England (EC4A 2LT) is an outstanding conservation (Thanks to Mick Slaughter for the photograph). There will be many more: hence, we welcome your suggestions: please contact info@ocrpubs.camra.org.uk saying why the pub should be included. But also, please, enjoy these wonderful pubs!

Royal Oak demolished

Posted on by Dave Pickersgill

Without planning permission, the Royal Oak (Mosborough), was recently demolished. The owners, Bar 24 Ltd., have to apply for retrospective planning permission. Their assertion is that toxic waste was dumped in the car park, and the situation became so bad that the only option was to demolish the pub. The building dated from 1843, becoming a beerhouse in 1870.

Clive Betts, the local MP disagrees, ‘the issue of the toxic waste and chemical spills on the site is in my view a red herring. There has been a problem with toxic chemicals but the explanation from the owners that they contacted the Environment Agency about demolition does not in any way obviate the need to apply for planning permission to demolish: the two are separate issues.’

Sheffield and District CAMRA agree with Clive. In October, environmental experts assessed the situation and didn’t find anything to justify demolition. This suggests that the spillage has been used as a pretext for taking short cuts to potentially secure profitable redevelopment of the site. Surely waste could have been removed without having to knock down the pub.

We also believe objections to the anticipated planning application should initially focus on the importance of retaining pub use on the site and the lack of any justification for the demolition. The Carlton Tavern (London) sets a clear precedent.

This Carlton closed in April 2015: then two days before Historic England was due to recommend the pub be granted Grade II listed status, the owners demolished the building, without planning permission. They expected a £5000 fine. However, Westminster Council had a different opinion. They ordered the owners: CTLX, to rebuild the Carlton brick by brick. Earlier this year, having been totally rebuilt, it re-opened.

Sheffield and District CAMRA will comment when the planning application for demolition is submitted to SCC Planning. We encourage you to do the same.

Cover Photo © Nigel Mykura (cc-by-sa/2.0) /

Royal Oak Mosborough – Kenny Riley

Flatiron pubs

Posted on by Dave Pickersgill

In Victorian times, mass-produced flatirons were used in pairs: while one was in use, the other was warmed by an open fire. Their shape is similar to an isosceles triangle: a triangle that has two sides of equal length. The difference is that the equal sides curve outwards before coming to a sharp point. In addition, the third side is less than half the length of the two curved sides.

Across the UK, there are many pubs which have a shape similar to the flatiron. They are usually built on an acutely angled corner site and often have a wedge-shaped corner, not the classic sharp point.

Three Tuns – Open Street Map
Three Tuns – interior

One local example is the Three Tuns on Silver Street Head in the centre of Sheffield. Built in 1840, this Grade II listed building was originally multi-roomed, taking on its current internal layout in 1976. It is an exception to most pubs of this shape in that the wedge side is not used as an external door. Instead, as illustrated by both the map and the photo, it is like sitting in the bow of a ship.

Other examples include the ornate Grade II* listed, Barton Arms in Birmingham. Dating from 1900-01, this is much larger than the Three Tuns and has a very large wedge for the corner. Closing in 2000, it was reopened by Oakham Ales in 2003.

Located within a converted RBS bank and opened in late 2017, RedWillow Buxton also exhibits the classic shape. Passing through the double wooden entrance doors, the large original entrance area leads, via a wood-panelled porch, to a further set of double doors and into the bar area. Original ornate carved wood is above your head as you enter. In addition, an original mahogany and glass office space to the right of the bar, holds tables and large leather chairs. Two original brass hooks (for hanging jackets/coats) remain from the days of bank-use. Above the entrance to this space is original carved woodwork.

Across the country are many ‘flatiron’ pubs. Other examples include: the Baltic Fleet (Liverpool), the Black Friar (London), the Central Hotel (Gateshead) and the Tap (Derby).

Many more exist: between us, can we name them all?

New pub history course

Posted on by Andy Cullen

Brian Holmshaw, a local history tutor, is running his Social History of Sheffield Pubs course for the Workers Education Association again in February. It is a six week course held on Mondays at a cost of £38.40 using images, maps and documents of the period to examine the origins, architecture and ownership of pubs and brewing in Sheffield, the impact of heavy industry on the way people drank and how pubs were used as public
spaces, including the development of the temperance movement.

This time the tuition will be online via Zoom. To book visit the WEA website or for more information about the course’s content you can contact Brian by emailing holmshawbrian@gmail.com.

A pint-sized social history

Posted on by Andy Cullen

Discover the story of the how the Peak District ‘local’ made the journey from humble alehouse to modern public house and meet some of the regulars along the way, including lead miners, packhorse men and navvies, plus the odd highwayman and a fair sprinkling of ghosts.

The author Andrew McCloy lives in the Peak District and has written and
edited over 20 books covering subjects such as the Pennine Way, Roman Britain and the Peak District Boundary Walk. He is currently Chair of the Peak District National Park Authority.

Buy Peak District Pubs: A pint-sized social history online

Review coming soon!

Plough saga continues

Posted on by Dave Pickersgill
The application to demolish the Plough goes to SCC Planning Committee on Tuesday 4 August. This is the latest twist in a saga which commenced when the previous owners, Enterprise Inns (Ei), decided to deliberately run-down their historically important asset before closure in 2015. Two years later, an application to turn the site into a branch of Sainsburys was refused. The pub company then refused to sell to a local Community Group and instead, sold to a property developer. They, in turn, have allowed the condition of the building to deteriorate: there has been no serious maintenance work. Ei and the subsequent owners, Spacepad UK, have simply left the pub to rot. Planning law places responsibility for the condition of the site with the current owner. By law, the building should have been maintained in a fit and proper condition for its current permitted use as a public house. The site deteriorated to such an extent that it became the subject of a Planning Enforcement enquiry regarding the unauthorised use of the site as a waste disposal facility and a storage site for unregistered vehicles. An Enforcement Notice was recommended. SCC should issue a requirement for the building, and site, to be reinstated to the condition it was in at the time of purchase from Ei. At that point, an independent report, commissioned by the Plough Community Benefit Society Ltd., demonstrated that, for the pub to reopen, no major building work was required and that internal refitting costs were manageable within a realistic business plan. The owners have failed to reinstate the property. Hence, the Council should exercise its power to compulsorily purchase in order to avoid further deterioration. The application to demolish the Plough does not provide any evidence to suggest that it is not viable as a public house. The developer states that no offers were received to lease the pub. This was because it was offered for a completely unrealistic rent of £50,000 pa. Average rents in this area are between £24,000 and £29,000. This planning application would see the Plough replaced by eight houses on the site, none of which would be affordable for local people. The Plough was rebuilt in 1929 and is an important example of an inter war public house which, according to Historic England, are ‘rare and overlooked buildings’. National planning policy recognises the importance of protecting historic assets and their ‘setting’. This was confirmed in the decision of the local authority to refuse the application from Sainsbury’s. The recent planning history of a site is also a relevant consideration in planning decisions. In 2017, the local authority rejected Sainsbury’s application for change of use based on the Plough’s listing as an ACV and it accepted that there were no alternative community facilities within a reasonable distance. In 2018, following the sale of the Plough, the local authority re-listed the pub as an ACV. As there have been no material changes in the reasons why the Plough was listed as an ACV, this should remain an overriding consideration in any decision. There are 214 public comments regarding this planning application: 205 are against the proposal. However, SCC Planning Officials are recommending that demolition goes ahead. If the Planning Committee accepts this recommendation, it sets a dangerous precedent: all a developer needs to do is allow a building to slowly fall-down, and, eventually, SCC will give permission to demolish. As previously stated we believe that the Plough should be functioning as a community pub, with the added attraction of its key place in the history of world football. A small internal museum would not be inappropriate. Dave Pickersgill

Friendship, Stocksbridge

Posted on by Dave Pickersgill
In 1903, “Re-built, Re-furbished and up-to-date.“ By 2014, run-down and failing: purchased by new owners, a sensitive refurbishment and Regional Inventory listing followed. The latest chapter in the renovation is now in hand, planning permission for locally-needed hotel accommodation: nine en suite B&B rooms on the first floor. Historical elements such as the dumbwaiter and fireplaces will be kept and restored as sympathetically as possible. The planning application also mentions praise from CAMRA for the sympathetic restoration of the ground floor public house. We anticipate that this positive ethos will be continued as the owners develop the first floor. See the entry on the Heritage Pubs website. The Stocksbridge area is the new ‘go-to’ recreational cycling/walking area in the South Pennines. Stocksbridge hosted the finish of the cycling Tour de Yorkshire in 2017 and was voted second in the Ramblers ‘Britain’s best walking neighbourhood’ in 2018. Dave Pickersgill If you fancy a trip to Stocksbridge, various buses stop outside the Friendship including the 57 from Sheffield City Centre, SL1a from Middlewood tram terminus, 201 from Chapeltown and 23/23a from Barnsley. The pub has now reopened after the Coronavirus lockdown, more info on their Facebook page.

1936 Referendum

Posted on by Dave Pickersgill
August 1936, Sheffield saw one of few local referendums regarding licenced premises. Tenants on each of the nine largest of the new council housing estates which were replacing inner-city slums were asked by Sheffield City Council (SCC) if they were ‘in favour of licensed premises being provided on the estates.’ Turnout was low. There seemed to be a view on the smaller estates that as licensed premises were relatively close, there was no point in voting. Of the 34,204 electorate, only 7,275 voted (21.3%). Woodthorpe had a 61% turnout, the next highest was 26% (Arbourthorne) with five estates having a turnout of less than 20%. In favour were Arbourthorne, Manor,  Shiregreen,  Woodthorpe and Wybourn with High Wincobank, Longley and Norwood, Stubbin and Brushes and Wisewood voting against. In 1938, SCC approved the granting of leases to six brewery companies for the building of public houses on municipal estates:  Arbourthorne, Manor, Parson Cross, Shiregreen, Woodthorpe and Wybourn, each on 99-year leases. Parson Cross was not involved in the 1936 ballot. The total building cost was given as £55,000. The six Sheffield breweries concerned were: Carter, Milner and Bird Ltd., Duncan Gilmour and Co.Ltd., William Stones Ltd., Tennant Bros. Ltd., Truswells Brewery Co.Ltd. and S.H.Ward and Co.Ltd. Construction, the responsibility of the brewery companies, commenced later in the year. Pubs involved included the Arbourthorne Hotel (closed ~2015), the Manor Hotel (1990), the Parson Cross Hotel (~2016) and the Shiregreen Hotel (2008). There have been other similar local referendum, over the question of whether buildings which had originally been built as coffee taverns (ie. pubs in all but the sale of alcohol) should become licensed premises. These include the Bridge Inn (Port Sunlight) where a 1903 vote saw over 80% voting for a liquor license and the Skittles Inn (Letchworth). Thanks to Andrew Davison, Thelma Griffiths, and Jamie Thompson for responding to my earlier request for further information. Dave Pickersgill