Category: Pubs

Former branch chairman, current Beer Matters distribution volunteer and general all round local legend John Beardshaw has provided this photograph from the archives showing him along with publicans Roy Tilney and Margaret plus the brewery area manager at a CAMRA pub of the month award presentation at the Meadow Street Hotel in October 1996. The photograph was featured in the Wards brewery staff magazine, Inn Sight.

The dreadful events unfolding in Ukraine have outraged all right-minded people and led to a huge desire amongst the public to help in whatever way they can. In typical style, the Dorothy Pax bar, situated on Victoria Quays in Sheffield recently leapt into action and organized a charity night to raise funds for War Child UK and the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukrainian Humanitarian Appeal.

Casks of beer from locals brewers, Abbeydale Brewery, Blue Bee Brewery and Triple Point Brewery were donated free with every penny from the sales going directly to the charities. Music for the night was provided free by the Balkan Bandits, including a distinctive cover of I Will Survive, and a selection of Ukrainian food was on sale during the evening to boost the fund.

The evening concluded with a charity raffle. Prizes were donated by the likes of Honey Bee Blues Club, Sheffield United, Beer Metropolis, Lilley’s Cider, A&G Passenger Boats, and our own Steel City Beer Festival.

Overall, a fantastic evening was had by everyone, raising almost £9,000.                          

Further proof, if it were needed, that owners Richard and Simon have turned the Dorothy Pax into one of the best bars in the city for both beer lovers and music lovers alike.

Photos courtesy of Mal Whichelow Photography. Find him on Facebook, Instagram etc.

CAMRA’s ‘Summer of Pub’ campaign is back this year to get as many people as possible enjoying the season of good – or at least better – weather by heading down to their local for a pint.

We will be celebrating how our nation’s pubs offer numerous benefits to people’s mental and social well-being and play an instrumental role in the communities they serve. After two years of lockdowns, restrictions and unprecedented pub closures, this is a time to celebrate being able to return to our locals and to recognise everything they have done throughout the pandemic.

Campaigning to support Britain’s pubs is something anyone can get involved in and can be as simple as stepping out the door and taking a stroll to a local. If you can encourage some friends or family to join you, then all the better. Drinking cheap supermarket booze at home does little to improve your life – but change that setting to the social environment of a pub and you can increase your happiness, make friends and connect with others in your local community, while still enjoying the tipple of your choice.

CAMRA’s National Chairman, Nik Antona, said: “We are kicking off on 2 May to coincide with the first Bank Holiday of the summer, and the celebrations will run until the last summer Bank Holiday on 29 August.

“This is the first time in two years that we’ve been able to come together and support pubs, clubs, brewers and cider makers in this way, and I urge everyone to make the most of this summer by joining in with Summer of Pub however they can.

“The financial aftershocks of the pandemic, combined with recent tax hikes mean that this is a difficult time for the trade. It is vital we give them all the support we can, so that we can continue to enjoy everything that makes our nation’s pubs so special for many summers to come.

“If your idea of a perfect summer involves a pint and a beer garden, then get involved, and start your Summer of Pub.”

As the season progresses, make sure to plan a pub visit for some of our key celebratory dates, whether it’s Pub Pride Day (27 May), the Jubilee Bank Holiday (3-5 June), Beer Day Britain, and Beer Day NI (15 June), the Women’s Euros (6-31 July), the return of the UK’s biggest beer festival at the Great British Beer Festival (4-8 August), or one of many others, leading up to the closing PUBlic Bank Holiday weekend (29 August).

So head down to the pub, make friends and memories, and – most importantly – shout about how much you love your local this Summer.

You can join the fun by supporting Summer of Pub on social media. Let us know how you’ll be celebrating by sharing photos of you and friends in the pub using the hashtag #SummerofPub. To find out more and see Summer of Pub events near you, visit camra.org.uk/summerofpub.

The Itchy Pig at Broomhill has rapidly established itself as a real ale haven in the west of the city, winning CAMRA Sheffield West Pub Of The Year the last two years. The owner Ted Finley has now opened a second outlet, this time in Banner Cross. 

Keeping with the same styling (including a bar made with two pence pieces) and friendly atmosphere that has made the original so successful, The Itchy Pig 2 Banner Cross looks set to become a popular spot for locals, and anyone looking for a start point for an Ecclesall Road crawl. 

Richard Storey, one of the managers at Broomhill has transferred over to run the bar, which features six handpulls and 12 keg taps. In addition to an ever changing ranges of guest beers, often from local breweries, there will always be at least one low alcohol tap and one cider. 

The opening weekend was very busy with employees from a number of local breweries in attendance lending their support. It looks like the Itchy Pig Broomhill might have some competition for next year’s Sheffield West Pub of the Year award. Oh, and if you pay with cash, make sure there isn’t a 2p in with your change, if you drop it on the bar you might not find it again. 

The Anchor Inn can be found just outside Tideswell on the crossroads where the B6049 road from Great Hucklow to Tideswell meets the busy A623 Chesterfield to Manchester road. It is owned by Robinsons Brewery of Stockport and leased to Atlantik Inns, the company run by Rick Ellison that also operates the Old Hall Hotel in Hope, Peak Hotel in Castleton and Milton’s Tap in Buxton. It is a cosy country pub offering real ale, rum and home cooked food – plus it ticks the other boxes with an open fire and beer garden.

The Anchor was from early days a working farmstead, but because of its strategic position it developed into an Alehouse, becoming licensed in 1699. We might imagine it would have been a favourite stopping place for carriers, in packhorse days, but it became even more popular during the Turnpike Era. The road from Chapel en le Frith was turnpiked in 1749 as far as Peak Forest. This was extended in 1758 towards Chesterfield, and the Anchor stood at its crossing point with the turnpike from Sheffield to Buxton, leading to it becoming popular as a Coaching Inn. In 1788 the Sheffield Coach called here 3 times a week, and in 1800 the Buxton & Sheffield “Telegraph” likewise. Then in the early 19th century, for instance in 1835, Pigot’s Directory records the Champion (from Nottingham to Manchester) calling at the Anchor every day at 12:30, whilst its “sister” coach, the Champion from Manchester to Nottingham, passed through in the opposite direction at the same time.

This old pub was in need of something of a fettle including rewiring so the opportunity has been taken to close for a full renovation and refurbishment. We are told work has been progressing on schedule, keep an eye on their Facebook page for latest updates including the announcement of the reopening party! In the meantime, here is a gallery of the work going on there.

UPDATE! The bar reopens on Friday 8 April 5pm with the restaurant opening the following day.

It’s always good to see a new bar opening, particularly when there’s an interesting bit of local history attached to it. Opening in September last year, Grafters Bar popped up in Neepsend, just by Peddler Market and opposite Sheffield Brewery. However drinkers may not know that it’s origins started way up north in Dundee. Footballing brothers, Jim and Tom McAnearney left their home town to sign for Sheffield Wednesday in 1951, and it was Jim who set up an engineering business in the city after a long career which also included managing Rotherham United and Hallam FC.

The business is still in the family (now PJ McAnearney Machine Tools) and operating from premises in Percy Street. It was a small unused area of those premises that gave grandsons Brad and Ash an idea. Why not become part of the ever-growing beer scene in the area? Despite no experience other than occasional bar work the pair threw themselves into the task of transforming the derelict L-shaped plot into a distinctive outdoor bar. With help from their parents, Paul and Tonia, the family did lots of the work themselves, from initial plot design, to building the furniture. It was all this hard work that gave them the name – Grafters.

Says Brad “From the outset, we knew we had to have a decent beer offer, being so close to Kelham, and we wanted to have a local emphasis as well. We usually have something from Abbeydale Brewery and often feature other local favourites such as Triple Point, Bradfield, Neepsend and more.”

Their five taps have a rotating range of beers, although one is usually reserved for a lager. The others feature a cider tap, guest keg beers and two cask taps. The lack of handpumps throws a few people but it’s real ale being served through the cask taps.

“We also have a big selection of bottles and cans in the fridges” continues Brad “including a few non-alcoholic options. It’s been a steep learning curve since we started, but the response has been fantastic, and we’re really pleased with how things are going. We’re now looking at putting on a few events such as tap takeovers and meet-the-brewer sessions.” Brad is also part of the Antics comedy group, so who knows, we might even see a comedy night at Grafters.

It’s a great outdoor space, and has overhead heaters for nights where it’s a bit chilly. I’d recommend trying it out before summer hits though. As soon as the warm weather arrives it’s going to be even more popular.

You can find more information about Grafters Bar on their Facebook page or on Instagram.