Category: Inn Brief

The Ship Inn at Shalesmoor now has 4 handpumps, all serving local beers. The Castle Inn at Bradway reopens at 6pm on Friday 11th April under the management of Craig and Marie Harris, previously of the Peaks at Castleton where they offered local ales and home cooked food. They are managers employed Tandem Leisure who have taken on the lease of this pub, along with the Talbot and Peaks. Expect real ales on most of the 6 handpumps on the bar, which will have seen work prior to opening. The kitchen is subject to refurbishment so food won’t be introduced straight away, although hot pork sandwiches did feature on the opening night! On the 22nd May The Closed Shop will be receiving it’s Pub Of The Month award, and we’d love if you came to help us celebrate. They’ll be a buffet, and for reasons that will become clear, LOADS of beer. Why loads of beer? Well, we’re rather committed to the Cask Ale cause here, sowe’re hosting our first beer festival from Thursday 22nd till Sunday 25th to launch the start of the summer in style. There will be a BBQ in our large beer garden and a whole extra bar for our expanded ale range. And yes, don’t worry, they’ll still be Blue Bee Nectar Pale.

In early February, the Royal Oak at Deepcar was taken on by Jeana and Simon from the nearby Wharncliffe Arms as a food/real ale outlet to be run by the two of them, in parallel with the Arms. Two new handpumps have been installed, initially providing Bradfield beers. – The Hill Top Sports & Social Club in Dronfield is now admitting CAMRA members, just show your membership card to be signed in as a guest. – Plans to turn the former Vine Inn on Cemetery Road into four three-bedroom properties have been approved by Sheffield Council. The development includes a two-storey rear extension. – Amended plans to knock down The Wheel pub on Plumbley Hall Road in Mosborough and build seven homes were conditionally approved at a council planning meeting on 17th February. – The Timbertops and Rivelin Valley Hotel are the latest two pubs reported to be for sale, freehold. – The Peaks Inn at Castleton has now reopened under new management. – The Wanted Inn at Sparrowpit has reopened as a freehouse. – The Norfolk Arms on Dixon Lane now has real ale. – Brewdog Sheffield is now open on Devonshire Street, as expected no real ale and fairly expensive prices, however there is plenty to keep the craft keg fan happy. – Mick and Denise are leaving the Castle Inn at Bradway at the end of March and celebrated their last month there by offering all beers at £2.50 a pint. They have chosen not to renew the Enterprise Inns lease, with the pub company apparently having no plans to invest anything in the pub. – The Horns in Holmesfield has closed again and is boarded up, Enterprise Inns has had a number of offers to buy this pub that has been put on the market freehold, the majority of which according to the parish council involve plans for residential development. – Chesterfield CAMRA’s Pub of the Season is the Chesterfield Alehouse micropub on West Bars, a few minutes walk from the town’s market place. – Hallowes Golf Club in Dronfield now has real ale on the bar.

The Freemasons at the bottom of Walkley Lane is under new management and is now called The Riverside. There is a range of real ales starting at £2.35 a pint. – The Sportsman at Crosspool, an Ember Inn has six real ales with the guest beers being voted for by the customers. There is an illustrated Ale Guide with descriptions of the beers to choose from. The manager Michael Cashmore and his team offer all real ales at £2.49 after 5pm on Monday and to CAMRA members there is 20p off all the time. – The Coach & Horses in Dronfield is offering 20p off a pint for CAMRA members on all the Thornbridge cask ales. – A planning application has been submitted to Sheffield Council seeking permission to demolish The Wheel, Plumbley Lane, Mosborough, and replace it with housing. Documents supporting the application say there are other pubs nearby and The Wheel is no longer financially viable. A decision is expected from the council by the end of March. – Bamford Post Office has relocated to the Angler’s Rest. Liz Marshall, of pub owners Bamford Community Society, said: “We are delighted to be able to save this amenity.” Continue reading “Inn Brief”

In late November, pub and brew­ing company Marston’s, sold 202 pubs to New River Retail. It is feared that New River will convert the pubs into stores. New River Retail is a specialist real estate investment trust (REIT) focussed on the UK food and value retail sector. Mike Benner, chief executive of the Campaign for Real Ale, said “This pub sell-off is bad news for communities which may lose their pubs as a result. New River Retail have seriously underestimated the challenges and opposition that they will face in trying to sell profitable community pubs and convert them into convenience stores and other uses.”

Stonegate Pub Company has taken over 78 pubs from the administrators of the Bramwell Pub Company. Locally, these include the Bessemer (Leopold Street) and The Graduate (Surrey Street). Stonegate have 623 outlets across the UK, including: The Beehive (West Street), The Globe (Howard Street), The Cavendish (West Street) and Yates’s (Cambridge Street). They have a turnover of some £570M and are second behind JD Wetherspoon in the high-street sector. Also, with mention of the Cavendish on West Street, this pub will temporarily close in January for refurbishment.

In April, Sheffield Planning Committee rejected a proposal to turn the Old Cart & Horses Inn in High Green into a Sainsbury’s ‘Local’ store. Following an appeal, the arguments will be heard by a Government planning inspector. No date has yet been set for the appeal, which will be either a public inquiry or a more informal public hearing.

Craig and Marie have now left the Peaks Inn at Castleton, they ceased trading and closed the pub on the 1st January. During their time there they increased the selection of real ales with local breweries supported, Craig’s food got a five star review from Martin Dawes in the Sheffield Star newspaper and the bed & breakfast accommodation featured on Channel 4’s Three in a Bed show. However the rent being charged by Punch Taverns was too high for the business to be viable going forward. We are told Punch plan on investing in a major refurbishment and leasing the pub to new tenants with a higher rent to reflect the investment. Craig and Marie are looking for alternative pub management roles in our area and we wish them all the best for the future.

Paul and Lorraine will by the time this issue is published have left the Horns Inn at Holmesfield with the leaving party being held on Saturday 25th January. Although this village pub has been excellent with them at the helm, it hasn’t been viable to employ permanent staff and they have been finding it hard work since becoming parents so are leaving the trade for something more family friendly!

The Railway, Holywell Road, Brightside, is now using two handpumps. New Year availability was Greene King Rocking Rudolf and Tetley Bitter.

The Florentine, Tapton Park Road has four beers, Florentine Gold which is re badged Oxford Gold at £3.19 and three other beers from local breweries which are more expensive. On a recent visit the beers were Abbeydale Moonshine and Brimstone and Bradfield Belgian Blue. The Florentine is the former Fulwood Inn, which has had a major refurbishment and rebrand by Marstons with food and accommodation available.