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. However, the Plough continues to be under threat.
The planning saga commenced when the previous owners, Enterprise Inns (Ei), decided to deliberately run-down their historically important asset before closure in 2015. Since then, there has been no serious maintenance work. Ei and the subsequent owners, Spacepad Construction Ltd., have 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 has deteriorated to such an extent that some local residents claim it is an ‘eyesore.’ These concerns are currently 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 has been recommended. Sheffield CC 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, in order for the pub to reopen, no major building work was required and that internal refitting costs were manageable within a realistic business plan. If the owners fail to reinstate the property, the Council should exercise its power to compulsorily purchase in order to avoid further deterioration.
The additional material recently submitted to the planning application by the applicant is essentially a re-mix of previously submitted documents, including correspondence concerning the marketing of the Plough and the exorbitant, and unrealistic, rental valuation of £50,000 per annum. The additional material does not demonstrate continuous marketing of the Plough at a realistic valuation as required by widely agreed criteria such as CAMRA’s Viability Test.
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.
The closing date for comments regarding the latest planning application is 28th.January 2020:
www.sheffield.gov.uk/planning reference: 19/02130/FUL
The pub is adjacent to the ground of Hallam FC (the 2nd.oldest football club in the world). Hallam occupy Sandygate, the oldest football ground in the world, the site of the first football game (Hallam v Sheffield FC) as recognised by FIFA. The Plough should be allowed to return as both a community pub and a key player in the developing Sheffield Football History experience.
Dave Pickersgill, Pub Heritage Officer
As part of Sheffield Beer Week, we are leading three Pub Heritage walks:
On Sunday 8th.March (14:00), we’ll be in the West Street area and on both Thursday 12th. (16:00) and Friday 13th (14:00), we’ll be on Kelham Island finishing with a tour at the Sheffield Brewing Company.
All three walks will include Victorian tilework, terrazzo flooring, art deco glasswork, a mention of long-gone Sheffield Breweries and much more ….
After the last two walks, Sheffield Brewing Company will be showing a series of films: a collection of short dramas, humorous trade films, perceptive documentaries and archival newsreel items, together presenting a history of the British boozer.
Full details and booking information is available:
Sunday 8th.March: https://tinyurl.com/vp4d2gj
Thursday 12th.March: https://tinyurl.com/raklr8t
Friday 13th.March: https://tinyurl.com/rfeqtkb
If you can’t wait until Sheffield Beer Week, you could try the third edition of the Sheffield Pub Heritage book: https://sheffield.camra.org.uk/rhp/
As you are probably aware, as a pub, the ACV-rated, Carbrook Hall closed in March 2017 and over two years later reopened as ‘Starbucks Carbrook Hall.’ Just before Christmas, I finally visited. The Jacobean wood panelling in the ‘Old Oak Room’ has been retained and is in good condition. However, the ceiling has received a heavy dose of white paint. On my previous visit, in April 2019 while renovations were taking place, the ceiling was exhibiting the distinctive colourful design which had been in place for years.
After a lengthy absence, the CAMRA national Pub Heritage website is now back on line in a much improved format.
Thanks to everyone who joined one of the three Pub Heritage walks which I recently led as part of Heritage Open Days and Sheffield Walking Festival. Over fifty participants took part in one of two routes, feedback was very positive and all seemed to enjoy the experience. Thanks again to Fagan’s and the Fat Cat for hosting the start of the walks.
The next walks will take place during March 2020, as part of Sheffield Beer Week. More detail about heritage pubs in Sheffield is available in the new third edition of Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs 
The download was first available in October 2017 and was updated a year later. October 2019 brings the third edition. This 114 page book includes almost 100 new images, updated text and new entries.
From October 2018, a printed version, the second edition, was available (RRP £5.99) from selected local pubs and bookshops. The vast majority of these outlets have sold their copies, although a small number may still be available.
– Dave Pickersgill 
A planning application was recently made to demolish The Plough Inn (Sandygate Road, Crosspool). The Plough was a Tennants pub for many years. In 1962, ownership changed when Whitbread took over Sheffield-based Tennants. In 2003, Enterprise Inns (Ei) took ownership. Since then, there appears to have been no serious maintenance work. Many would claim that the pub has been left to rot.
When the pub closed in 2015, a local community group obtained ACV (Asset of Community Value) status from Sheffield City Council (SCC). Ei then leased the building to Sainsburys. Sainsburys then waited until peak holiday time before, on 2nd.August, submitting a planning application to turn the pub into a ‘convenience store.’ This application was subsequently turned down.
Both the Plough and the adjacent football ground have ACV status with the nearby, Towers Lodge, Grade II listed. 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 pub is adjacent to the ground of Hallam FC (the 2nd.oldest football club in the world). Hallam occupy Sandygate, the oldest football ground in the world, the site of the first football game (Hallam v Sheffield FC) as recognised by FIFA. The Plough is important in the history of football (the first inter-club game was adjacent, the rules of football written in the pub ………). This is the venue whose historical value outweighs speculative commercial development. It is a cultural icon which should be protected.
In 2017, the building was sold to Spacepad UK, which outbid the Save the Plough campaign group’s £435,000 offer made after raising thousands of pounds by selling community shares. The Plough was recently relisted as an ACV. This protects its status as a public house. This decision was based on widespread support from the community, individuals, families and local organisations.
As reported in Beer Matters, in February 2019, a planning application was made to erect a mobile phone mast close to the site. The application stated: “The NTQ (Notice to Quit) site is the Plough Inn, which has recently been bought by developers who have plans to convert the pub into residential with parking. A new site is urgently required to replace the current one.” At this point, there was no planning permission to demolish the Plough. Rightly, the application for a mobile mast was recently withdrawn.
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 campaign to preserve the Plough is about more than just saving a pub. It has been about gaining wider recognition of the historic role of the area in the sporting history of Sheffield. We believe that this planning application should be rejected and the Plough allowed to return to use as a community pub.
As part of Heritage Open days 2019, I’m leading a Pub Heritage Walk on Friday 13th.September and two walks on 20th.September. These will take in some of the entries in the CAMRA ‘Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs’ book.
On Friday 13th., in this new walk, we will commence at the ‘Fat Cat’ and proceed to the ‘Gardeners’ via a short stop in the ‘Wellington.’ Along the way, we will take a circuitous route through aspects of the brewing and industrial history of Sheffield before completing the walk at the Gardeners Rest, close to the now derelict, Stones Brewery.
The following week, we will commence at ‘Fagans’ and proceed to the ‘Dog and Partridge’ via a short stop outside the ‘Grapes.’ After a refreshment break, we will proceed past the ‘Red Deer’ and ‘Bloo88,’ before completing the walk at ‘The Bath Hotel.’
En route we will pass: ‘Stanch,’ (the statue of a Pointer dog), the building with three different date stones, and the then home of the company whose claim to fame is that the owner was the first man to climb Nelson’s Column.
In both walks there will also be Victorian tilework, terrazzo flooring, art deco glasswork, a mention of long-gone Sheffield Breweries and much more ….
The 13th.September walk will take place once: 15:00. Places are limited (to 15) and may be booked via Eventbrite: http://tiny.cc/93zx7y
The 20th.September walk will take place twice: 14:30 and 17:30. Places are limited (to 15) and may also be booked via Eventbrite:
14:30 start: https://tinyurl.com/y5249v8e
17:30 start: https://tinyurl.com/y3wjsmp8
If you can’t wait until September, you could try the Sheffield Pub Heritage book:
https://sheffield.camra.org.uk/rhp. A limited number of paper copies of the book will be available at the bargain price of £5.00.
– Dave Pickersgill, Sheffield CAMRA, Pub Heritage Officer 
Originally opened as a Rawsons pub in 1797, the C20th.saw a series of changes resulting in the closure of the pub in 2010, the building becoming The Sleep Hotel. Recently, under the same management as the Rutland Arms, it reopened with the new name.
The porch has internal leaded windows and an impressive ceramic floor which features an image of a crown. Apart from the opening-out of the room on the right, the basic layout of the interior is relatively unchanged since the mid C20th. The fittings are of varying ages, with some recent renovation. Unusually, the off sales was approached via the entrance to the rear yard: purchasers entering through a small door to access the servery.
Historically, as the Crown Inn, or the Old Crown, the pub is mentioned as a key player in the 1840’s Chartist protests, the Sheffield Outrages and the 1920’s Sheffield Gang Wars. The outrages saw the 1859 murder of James Lindley: ‘saw-grinder, was sitting at the Crown Inn, Scotland Street.’ On February 17th.1925, there was a fracas outside the Crown, involving about 30 youths. A knuckleduster, a life preserver, two razors and a hammer were picked up after the incident. Bricks, cellar grates and other missiles were alleged to have been thrown. The crowd were dispersed but returned for another fight after midnight when the two lads were arrested and subsequently charged.
Thomas Rawson’s and Co. Brewery (Pond Street) was destroyed by enemy action on 12th.December 1940. The site was subsequently developed as Sheffield Polytechnic (now Sheffield Hallam University). The pub then came into the hands of Gilmours, then Tetleys. It is now an innovative, enterprising free house with an excellent range of beer – during opening week, the Corbeau Noir was not to be missed.