The Plough Inn on Sandygate Road, Crosspool, was a Tennants pub for many years. In 1962, ownership changed when Whitbread took over Sheffield-based Tennants. In 2003, Enterprise Inns (now Ei Group) took ownership of the pub and effectively left the building to rot; there was no serious maintenance work.
When the pub closed in 2015, a local community group successfully obtained ACV (Asset of Community Value) status from Sheffield City Council (SCC). Ei then leased the building to Sainsbury’s who submitted a planning application to SCC to turn the pub into a convenience store. This application was subsequently turned down by SCC. In 2017, the vacant building was sold by Ei Group to Spacepad UK, who outbid the Save the Plough campaign group’s £435,000 offer. This offer was made after the raising of thousands of pounds by selling community shares. A second successful ACV application followed in April 2018.
The Plough in 2015, shortly before it closed
A recent planning application to SCC (19/00405/TEL) for the ‘Erection of 15 m monopole and provision of associated cabinets and equipment’ (a mobile phone mast) states: “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”.
We believe that this planning application should be immediately rejected as it pre-empts any planning application to SCC: it simply assumes that the Plough will become residential. In addition, national planning policy recognises the importance of protecting historic assets and their ‘setting’. The proposed mast would be an eyesore in a unique setting.
The Plough in 2017, closed and with boarded windows
The pub is adjacent to the ground of Hallam FC, the second oldest football club in the world. Hallam occupy Sandygate, the oldest football ground in the world and the site of the first football game (Hallam v Sheffield FC, 26 December 1860) as recognised by FIFA. The Plough is important in the history of football; it is highly probable that the rules of football for the first game were agreed in the pub. Under the right hands, it would be a gem on the Sheffield tourism landscape.
Peter Duff, of the Save the Plough and the Sporting Heritage of Sandygate group, said the application “confirms what we have assumed for some time” about the new owner’s plans for the site. He urges people to object to plans for the mast, which he said would be an ‘eyesore’ in a ‘unique setting’, with The Plough and Hallam FC’s ground both being protected Assets of Community Value and the nearby Towers Lodge being a Grade II-listed building. He explained: “Our campaign to preserve The Plough has always been 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”.
Dave Pickersgill
We were recently contacted regarding some etched windows at the Royal Standard on St. Mary’s Road. These looked the part: three glass panels across the front of the pub, each with a distinctive ‘HB’ initial. The initial suggestion was that ‘HB’ referred to the long-lost Hoosons Brewery (1865–1914). Their Park Brewery on Cricket Inn Road, along with their 31 pubs, were taken over by Ind Coope in 1914. However, the Brewery History Society states that the Royal Standard was obtained by S. H. Wards in 1876, from William Bradley. The next thought was that ‘HB’ referred to a past Landlord: the only possibility was Henry Piggott, a licensee in the 1850s and 60s.
Finally, a visit to Sheffield Archives found the solution. From 1972, until it was discontinued in 1985, the Royal Standard was subject to a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) from Sheffield City Council concerning the development of the Inner Ring Road. The file concerned with the CPO included a colour photo of the pub – no etched windows! Hence the windows were possibly late 20th century, not a relic of a by-gone age.
More research saw more recent photos and plans for a 2002 revamp (Ian Whitehead Contract Furnishing Limited for Enterprise Inns Limited) bringing changes leading to the present configuration of an opened out central area with wide spaces leading to what were originally the three separate rooms. ‘HB’ refers to The Bramwell Pub Company Limited, a subsidiary of Enterprise Inns plc. Bramwell went into administration in 2013: some pubs were sold to other operators while others, including the Royal Standard, reverted back to Enterprise Inns.
We believe the windows were installed in 2002. Thanks to Dermot Kennedy and Jamie Thompson for their assistance.
We at Railway Hotel are enjoying an exciting 2019, which we began with some internal renovations. The place is looking fantastic inside, and we intend to continue these renovations externally as the year progresses. Moving through the year, we will be continuing our weekly themed quizzes every Tuesday. Previous incarnations have included Simpsons, Marvel, Harry Potter and Doctor Who themes. Keep your eyes peeled to our Facebook page for the upcoming quizzes.
Thursdays at Railway are games nights with competitions on our free-to-play retro tabletop machines and an ever rotating selection of PS3, GameCube and board games on offer. All free to play, all night long.
We saw an influx of students through our doors towards the end of 2018 and want to make them feel even more welcomed in 2019 with plans to introduce a Student Rail Card, which will serve as a loyalty reward scheme for our valued student customers. With a brand new cocktail menu and even more student offers in the pipeline, we’re sure everyone will find reasons new and old to spend time in our cosy little pub.
As ever, we will continue to host an eclectic mix of our local breweries’ fantastic ales that come and go with increasing frequency. The real ale scene in Sheffield is truly one of a kind, and we are blessed to be a small part of that. Long may it continue. A CAMRA discount of 30p per pint applies to every ale we tap so come and find your new favourite tipple with us.
All of us at Railway Hotel wish the very best for the people of Sheffield and look forward to meeting many more of you in 2019. For details of all of our events, opening hours, ales on offer and a whole host of miscellany: find us at facebook.com/RailwaySheff.
Ey up everyone, we hope 2019 has been good to you so far. We want to start off and say a huge thank you to everyone that donated prizes, money and turned up for our first birthday party back in November.
We recently presented a cheque to Weston Park Cancer Charity where the grand total came to £4511.38 – we were overwhelmed with the amount we raised so give yourselves a pat on the back.
Sheffield Beer Week is only around the corner and we’ve got some cracking events lined up. Orbit Brewery from London are coming up on Sunday 10 March for a beer showcase with cheese event all day, plus meet the brewer from 1-3pm.
On Thursday 14 March we have a meet the brewer event and brewery showcase from local legends Lost Industry Brewing from 5-8pm. As well as all of this we will have special Sheffield Beer Week offers on.
We’re also adding to our collection of fantastic Brew Foundation beers as we’ll be brewing a new cask beer and launching it at the Ale Club during Beer Week.
A few weeks before Christmas it was announced that Trevor Wraith, landlord of the Kelham Island Tavern, was to retire after 17 years in charge of the multi award-winning pub.
Mexborough-born Trevor’s pub career began as a barman before he and friend Philip McKenna took over the Rutland Arms on Brown Street in the early 1990s. After building up a positive reputation over his ten years in charge there, he left when an opportunity to renovate and reopen the somewhat dilapidated Kelham Island Tavern on Russell Street arose in 2001.
Trevor and business partner Lewis Gonda fully refurbished the pub and once reopened it soon became well-known around Sheffield and beyond for the variety and quality of its cask ale offering and its friendly, welcoming ambience.
Trevor (centre) being presented with one of the Kelham Island Tavern’s many awards.
It wasn’t long before the awards began to roll in and the Tavern was named Sheffield & District CAMRA’s Pub of the Year in 2004. It has gone on to win the accolade almost every year since, with the exception of 2013 when it was narrowly beaten by Shakespeares. The local awards led to more widespread recognition, and since 2004 the pub has also been named Yorkshire CAMRA Pub of the Year seven times, most recently in 2015.
But the reputation of the Kelham Island Tavern is not only confined to Yorkshire. In 2008 and 2009, the pub won CAMRA’s highest honour, the national Pub of the Year award. To this day it remains the only place ever to have won the award two consecutive years, and it continues to attract real ale enthusiasts from around the country.
Speaking to the Sheffield Star just after his retirement, Trevor explained: “We put a lot of work into it. We doubled in size with the extension at the back which made it more viable as a business because we could get more staff and had more space.”
“It was very intense for a few years, in 2009 it got very busy. I would spend time behind the bar a lot, and always made sure to be prominent. Up until last week I was still doing 60 to 80 hours a week, and was always involved.”
The news had been circulating for quite some time that Trevor was considering calling time on his career behind the bar, with various rumours abounding regarding who might be taking over the mantle. Once the confirmation was finally received and the identity of the new owners emerged, the changeover happened very quickly.
Those new licencees are Josh Jepson and Louise Singleton. Josh and Louise are both well-known in the Sheffield real ale scene; they own the nearby Blue Bee Brewery, where Josh is head brewer, and in recent years have been involved with the Steel City Beer & Cider Festival, Louise as festival organiser and Josh as beer orderer.
Speaking to the new management couple on their opening night, Josh explained that there are no plans at present to make major changes at the Kelham Island Tavern. There will still be 13 real ales on offer, always including a mild and either a porter or a stout, but we might perhaps expect to see one or two more Blue Bee brews appearing on the guest pumps! Many of the staff will be remaining too, including Lewis, who will still be providing a familiar face behind the bar.
Since Christmas, the pub has re-launched its lunchtime food menu with homemade hot specials, sandwiches and chips being joined by locally produced pies and breads. Food is served from noon to 3pm, Monday to Saturday.
Sheffield & District CAMRA would like to congratulate Trevor on his well-deserved retirement and we hope to make a presentation to him in the near future to recognise his outstanding contributions to real ale in Sheffield. All the details will be in Beer Matters and on our website once arranged.
Planning permission has been applied for to convert the former Travellers Rest in Dronfield into a domestic dwelling. The pub was notable for being the location of the first ever branch meeting of Sheffield & District CAMRA.
The Old Grindstone at Crookes is under new management again and the incoming management pair have also brought two dogs with them. Just up the road, the Punchbowl is also under new ownership, having been taken over by the People’s Pub Company.
Licensee Alan Ward has left the Walkley Cottage, having been the landlord since 2011. He had been in the pub trade for more than 40 years, having previously run the Freedom House on South Road.
The Penny Black on Pond Hill has undergone a full refurbishment, including the installation of three hand pumps. Two beers from the Greene King range feature alongside Black Sheep Best Bitter.
Sticking with the theme of refurbishments, the Hare & Hounds at Dore and the Nursery Tavern on Ecclesall Road both closed briefly before Christmas for renovations, while the Milton Arms in Elsecar reopened on 8 December after an extensive refurb.
The long-anticipated Brass Monkey micropub has now opened on Middlewood Road, Hillsborough. There are three real ales on offer, often featuring local breweries such as Bradfield, Loxley and Kelham Island. Owner Stacy Reed and his business partners also have plans for another bar in the city centre.
Rumour has it that the Sleep Hotel on Scotland Street (formerly the Crown Inn) is turning back into a real ale and craft beer pub at the hands of well-known local publicans, licensing permitted.
The Pointing Dog on Ecclesall Road has been renamed the Lost & Found. Meanwhile, the former Champs sports bar in Malin Bridge is now known as the Loxley. It remains a sports-themed venue with three real ales available.
The Dore Moor Inn is no longer a pub after Mediterranean restaurant chain Ego purchased it from previous owners Vintage Inns. Set to reopen in March, it is rumoured that Bradfield cask beers will still be available.
St Michael’s Social Club on Hunter Road is set to be sold at auction on 29 January. The building includes a bar, cellar, beer garden and living quarters.
The Riverside on Mowbray Street (owned by True North) reopened on 12 January following a bar refit. There is now a wider range of craft keg beers alongside the seven handpumps.
The Devonshire Cat is holding a Meet the Brewer evening with Manchester’s Marble Brewery on Thursday 21 February, with a number of Marble beers appearing on cask and keg.
Shakespeares on Gibraltar Street will be hosting a Meet the Brewer and tap takeover event featuring Ridgeside Brewery from Leeds on Friday 8 February from 6pm.
Over in Dronfield, the Beer Stop has expanded its range of craft lines to 4, including permanent lines from Northern Monk and Cloudwater.
Another new craft beer bar is heading to Abbeydale Road. The Dead Donkey is set to open later this year in the former Mr Pickles’ Yorkshire Food Emporium unit.
The Cross Keys at Handsworth closed before Christmas and is currently boarded up. The Everest, also in Handsworth, is undergoing refurbishment.
Someone must have been swearing at the Cow and Calf, the Sam Smiths pub at Grenoside, because the gates are closed and there are massive boulders behind the gates.
The Prince of Wales, Ecclesall Road South, will reopen on 26 January after refurbishment. The beers usually on are Abbeydale Moonshine and Old Speckled Hen; these will remain but there will be a greater range of keg beers and food.
Well done to the Gardeners Rest on Neepsend Lane and the Hallamshire House on Commonside, which have just been granted Cask Marque accreditation.
Following on from the successful launch of Sport Shack on Ecclesall Road earlier this year, owners Danny Grayson and James Dobson have submitted plans to open two new Sport Shack venues in Woodseats and Hillsborough. The current bar was Sheffield’s first micro pub dedicated to sports and offers Abbeydale Moonshine for cask drinkers, alongside a range of lagers and spirits.
A planning application has already been submitted to Sheffield City Council for the conversion of 12 Holme Lane, Hillsborough, into a micro pub. According to the a recent press release, the location has been chosen due to the close proximity of the Sheffield Wednesday ground and is intended to provide an excellent pre- and post-match drinking environment. Meanwhile, the pair hope to open the Woodseats venue in a former charity shop.
The two businessmen said: “All too often other areas of Sheffield are neglected when it comes to new bars, it’s not all about Ecclesall Road and Kelham Island. We would just like to say thank you to all the customers for the fantastic reception to Sport Shack it has been truly amazing. We look forward to bringing the same atmosphere and fantastic deals to the new locations. We are an independent business looking to create great venues, providing new jobs for each area and we thank you for all your support.”
Both bars are looking to open in early 2019.
The Ecclesall Ale Club celebrated its first birthday on 15 November 2018. The micro pub is owned and run by Sheffield-based cuckoo brewer The Brew Foundation, which in turn was celebrating its third birthday in November. The double celebration called for a party… so one was indeed thrown! The evening was a great success with much fun, and beer, had by all. Most importantly it was all for a great cause, with over £3,500 raised for Weston Park Cancer Charity – well done Sheffield, you generous and thirsty lot!
The Ale Club and The Brew Foundation would like to thank all their customers for their genuine support over the last year. As some of you will know, James from The Brew Foundation has had to have treatment at Weston Park last year and the support and well wishes from everyone made it a lot more bearable. Thank you.
James Eardley
The Gardeners Rest on Neepsend Lane now has a function room seating up to 40 people. The room can be booked free of charge by community groups but is not available for private parties.
Just next door, the new Cutlery Works is now open and serves a range of cask (six handpumps) and keg beers alongside a plethora of culinary choices.
Beer Central in the Moor Market recently celebrated their fifth birthday with a rebrand. They also collaborated on a special birthday brew, Candidiate Breakfast Stout, with Five Towns Brewery which should be available soon.
The Archer Road Beer Stop has had a change of ownership, with Dave Daykin selling the shop, after 24 years at the helm, to new owner Richard Hattersley. Cask beer is still available to take away and recent breweries featured include Abbeydale and Dancing Duck.
Jabeerwocky is the latest addition to the London Road/Abbeydale Road beer scene after opening in the former Bar Ambasada PL unit. The new bar offers UK craft beer (including cask), Polish lagers and spirits, plus dumplings. There will also be a pub quiz on Monday nights.
Meanwhile, the folks at Hop Hideout have announced they are set to leave their Abbeydale Road shop in order to relocate to the city centre. While the old shop is closed, there will be pop-up stalls at the Sheffield Christmas Market on Fargate (until 5 December), the Ball Street Deli on 2 December and the Nether Edge Farmers Market on 9 December. More details on the new venue should be announced shortly.
The Old Grindstone on Crookes has a new licensee, who has indicated that the kitchen is set to be refurbished in the near future.
Pour, the new dog-friendly vegan beer and pizza bar next door to the White Lion in Heeley, opened for business at 4pm on Friday 16 November – a couple of days too late to get an article in Beer Matters! Our correspondents are hoping to visit to write something in time for the next magazine.
To Øl will be taking over the guest taps at BrewDog on Division Street on Thursday 13 December, with four beers from the Danish brewery available.
The Eyre Arms at Hassop is now on the CAMRA National Inventory of Pub Interiors. The building was originally a farmstead, built in 1632. By 1753, ‘Eyre Arms as a Public House at Hassop.’ In 1814, the name changed to ‘Newburg Arms Inn’ and in 1902 it returned to the Eyre Arms. The creeper covered sandstone building was subject to a good quality refit in the mid 1950s and is virtually unchanged since.
A plan (Derbyshire Record Office, Matlock) dated 1952 shows a very different interior – the front entrance led into a hall and on the left was the Tap Room (now the public bar), while to the right are steps (up) and a Smoke Room. Ahead was a passage with a servery at the rear and a sitting room on the rear right. The pub was sold by the Stevensons, owners of Hassop Hall, to Stones Brewery of Sheffield in the mid 1950s who carried out a significant refurbishment creating the centrally placed servery for all three rooms.
Nowadays the front door leads to a small entrance lobby with 1950s tiled floor. An oak latched door to the left has ‘Public Bar’ painted in gold and on the frame above is painted the Roman numeral ‘I’. An oak latched door on the right has gold painted lettering ‘Saloon Room’ over which a metal sign ‘Lounge’ and on the frame above is the Roman numeral ‘II’. The left small Public Bar has a carpet, stone Tudor arch-style fireplace found in pre-war pubs but appears also have been added in the 1950s, and quality high-backed fitted seating on two sides of the room.
There is a quarter circle bar with a counter of wooden tongue and groove of high quality including a small linenfold section, and the bar back is of a 1950s style with adzed wood on the frame and no loss of lower shelving. The walls are of rough stone and painted white and a door at the rear leads to a short passage. There is a Roman numeral ‘I’ on the back of the door, a door on the left of the passage has the Roman numeral ‘IV’ and ‘Cellar’ painted in gold. Another door has ‘Private’ on it. Alongside is a door with ‘Gentlemen’ on it. A door on the right of the passage has the gold painted wording ‘Snug’ and ‘III’.
The right hand carpeted Lounge Bar being two rooms prior to the mid 1950s has two different ceilings – higher plain one at the front and lower ‘beamed’ one in rear part. In the front part is a curved 1950s bar counter with a small linenfold section and the bar back is 1950s style with adzed wood frame. On the front right is a different style of stone fireplace to the public bar one and seen in pre-war pubs, but appears also have been added in the 1950s, and above it is a massive plaster Coat of Arms with a dull yellow-coloured ceramic (?) decorative border. The arms belong to Rowland Eyre, a Royalist officer in the Civil War. The Eyres raised a regiment in Derbyshire and fought at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644.
There is more adzed wood above the change in ceiling height. On the front wall side is more of the high backed fitted seating, a long case clock, and the walls are of bare stone. In the rear part are more of the high backed fitted seating on the left and right and low backed bench seating on the rear wall. An oak latched door on the front right hand side leads to the kitchen and one on the rear right leads to the ladies’ toilet.
An oak latched door leads from the rear left part of the lounge to the snug at the middle rear and has the Roman numeral ‘II’ painted on it in gold. Formerly the site of the servery it is a small room with a modest counter, almost a hatch, having a 1950s frontage. There is more of the high-backed fitted seating, one low backed bench and a door leads to the passage situated at the rear left.
The gents’ toilet has a red tiled floor and inter-war style cream tiled walls to picture-frame height throughout with a row of light green tiles along the bottom and top and retains the 1950s urinal with the only change being a wooden WC door added in 2016. Added in the mid-1950s it replaced the outside gents situated on the front left of the building as detailed in the 1952 plan, which also shows the ladies was also outside on the right. The ladies are situated where the 1952 plan shows was the larder and also has inter-war style cream tiled walls to picture-frame height throughout with a row of light green tiles along the bottom and top. Again, the only changes are the wooden WC doors added in 2016.
Dave Pickersgill & Mick Slaughter
A planning application has already been submitted to Sheffield City Council for the conversion of 12 Holme Lane, Hillsborough, into a micro pub. According to the a recent press release, the location has been chosen due to the close proximity of the Sheffield Wednesday ground and is intended to provide an excellent pre- and post-match drinking environment. Meanwhile, the pair hope to open the Woodseats venue in a former charity shop.
The two businessmen said: “All too often other areas of Sheffield are neglected when it comes to new bars, it’s not all about Ecclesall Road and Kelham Island. We would just like to say thank you to all the customers for the fantastic reception to Sport Shack it has been truly amazing. We look forward to bringing the same atmosphere and fantastic deals to the new locations. We are an independent business looking to create great venues, providing new jobs for each area and we thank you for all your support.”
Both bars are looking to open in early 2019. 
The Ale Club and The Brew Foundation would like to thank all their customers for their genuine support over the last year. As some of you will know, James from The Brew Foundation has had to have treatment at Weston Park last year and the support and well wishes from everyone made it a lot more bearable. Thank you.
James Eardley 
Nowadays the front door leads to a small entrance lobby with 1950s tiled floor. An oak latched door to the left has ‘Public Bar’ painted in gold and on the frame above is painted the Roman numeral ‘I’. An oak latched door on the right has gold painted lettering ‘Saloon Room’ over which a metal sign ‘Lounge’ and on the frame above is the Roman numeral ‘II’. The left small Public Bar has a carpet, stone Tudor arch-style fireplace found in pre-war pubs but appears also have been added in the 1950s, and quality high-backed fitted seating on two sides of the room.
There is a quarter circle bar with a counter of wooden tongue and groove of high quality including a small linenfold section, and the bar back is of a 1950s style with adzed wood on the frame and no loss of lower shelving. The walls are of rough stone and painted white and a door at the rear leads to a short passage. There is a Roman numeral ‘I’ on the back of the door, a door on the left of the passage has the Roman numeral ‘IV’ and ‘Cellar’ painted in gold. Another door has ‘Private’ on it. Alongside is a door with ‘Gentlemen’ on it. A door on the right of the passage has the gold painted wording ‘Snug’ and ‘III’.
The right hand carpeted Lounge Bar being two rooms prior to the mid 1950s has two different ceilings – higher plain one at the front and lower ‘beamed’ one in rear part. In the front part is a curved 1950s bar counter with a small linenfold section and the bar back is 1950s style with adzed wood frame. On the front right is a different style of stone fireplace to the public bar one and seen in pre-war pubs, but appears also have been added in the 1950s, and above it is a massive plaster Coat of Arms with a dull yellow-coloured ceramic (?) decorative border. The arms belong to Rowland Eyre, a Royalist officer in the Civil War. The Eyres raised a regiment in Derbyshire and fought at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644.
There is more adzed wood above the change in ceiling height. On the front wall side is more of the high backed fitted seating, a long case clock, and the walls are of bare stone. In the rear part are more of the high backed fitted seating on the left and right and low backed bench seating on the rear wall. An oak latched door on the front right hand side leads to the kitchen and one on the rear right leads to the ladies’ toilet.
An oak latched door leads from the rear left part of the lounge to the snug at the middle rear and has the Roman numeral ‘II’ painted on it in gold. Formerly the site of the servery it is a small room with a modest counter, almost a hatch, having a 1950s frontage. There is more of the high-backed fitted seating, one low backed bench and a door leads to the passage situated at the rear left.
The gents’ toilet has a red tiled floor and inter-war style cream tiled walls to picture-frame height throughout with a row of light green tiles along the bottom and top and retains the 1950s urinal with the only change being a wooden WC door added in 2016. Added in the mid-1950s it replaced the outside gents situated on the front left of the building as detailed in the 1952 plan, which also shows the ladies was also outside on the right. The ladies are situated where the 1952 plan shows was the larder and also has inter-war style cream tiled walls to picture-frame height throughout with a row of light green tiles along the bottom and top. Again, the only changes are the wooden WC doors added in 2016.
Dave Pickersgill & Mick Slaughter