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.
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.
Dominic Nelson
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 
Tony Brown, formerly at the Blue Ball, is now running the pub and has added table football to the larger room on the left which will be refurbished soon as well as a new a beer garden. The Tuesday quiz night will also be returning.
Bradfield Farmers Blonde and Belgian Blue are on the pumps, with rotating guest beers including Abbeydale Moonshine then Timothy Taylor’s Boltmaker. A good selection of bar snacks is also available.
John Beardshaw 
The three pre-war Tennants windows have pride of place within a modern environment. Six handpumps provide a range of Bradfield beers. The food offering will be available in the new year as the pub continues to develop.
Dave Pickersgill 
