The number
4 bus, operated by TM Travel, serves a number of Sheffield’s south-western suburbs, heading out from the city centre, through Sharrow, Brincliffe and Ecclesall and on towards Bents Green and eventually Ringinglow. The twin service 4a takes an alternative route from Ecclesall Road, heading down Carter Knowle Road before terminating at Millhouses Tesco.
Although these buses only run once per hour, services run on weekends, continue until around 11pm and pass by a number of excellent real ale pubs, making it ideal for visiting a few pubs that are a little further out of the way.
The route begins at the Sheffield Interchange, so if you arrive early you can call into the
Old Queen’s Head to get refreshments ahead of the journey. The three regular Thwaites beers are nowadays joined by a number of guest offerings, which often feature local breweries such as Abbeydale and Little Critters. The pub also offers an interesting range of Czech food on its menu, which is well worth a try.
On departing the bus station, the service meanders through the city centre, heading past the Moor Market towards London Road before turning right up Cemetery Road. Here you will find the
Beer Engine, where there are up to six real ales plus a selection of craft keg and tapas.
A little further up the road, just past the roundabout, the bus stops almost outside the door of the
Stag’s Head on Psalter Lane. This Thornbridge pub serves a range of core and seasonal beers and has a pleasant beer garden.
The bus continues on Psalter Lane, past the currently closed Psalter Tavern, and onto Ecclesall Road South before reaching the
Prince of Wales pub on the left-hand side. Today, this pub is mainly food-focused but real ale is still on offer, with Timothy Taylor’s Landlord and Tetley Bitter regularly available.
As mentioned earlier, the 4a service takes an alternative route here, heading down Carter Knowle Road past the
Cherry Tree and on towards Tesco. The Cherry Tree is a community pub which recently won an appeal to retain its status as an Asset of Community Value, and has Black Sheep Best Bitter on cask.
Meanwhile, the number 4 takes a right turn onto Bents Road and up towards the
Hammer & Pincers at Bents Green, where there are four real ales available including local favourite Abbeydale Moonshine. There are also two weekly pub quizzes, on Tuesdays and Sundays.
The route continues out as far as Ringinglow, with a stop just outside the
Norfolk Arms Hotel, before heading back towards the city. The Norfolk Arms has up to six cask beers on offer, with regular beers from Abbeydale, Bradfield and Exit 33 joined by three guests. One real ale, a different one each week, is priced at £2 per pint on Mondays and Tuesdays.
On the way back into town the bus follows much the same route, but just in case you want to try one more pub, the approach to the Interchange from the opposite direction means that the bus stops directly outside our Pub of the Month from March 2018, the
Rutland Arms. Here, there are up to seven real ales, with the regulars provided by Blue Bee.
Dominic Nelson 
Dan said: “I’ve worked in the pubs industry for much of my career and feel very honoured to have been given the chance to make my mark on The Albion. It’s a pub which is packed with character and since joining the Stancill team in April, I’ve been made to feel really welcome.”
Since taking over, Dan has organised a number of events including the Funk and Soul-themed garden party which took place at the beginning of May. The Albion has also recently launched a new quiz night, which takes place every Tuesday evening, and regular music events are currently being planned. The pub’s happy hours have been extended to 2pm-7pm every day, and all day on Friday. During these times, all Stancill real ales are £2.00 per pint.
Over in Wadsley, Joanne Young has been promoted to pub manager having worked at the Horse & Jockey since it reopened in 2016.
Prior to joining the Stancill team at the Horse & Jockey, Joanne was assistant manager at an amusements arcade and briefly spent time producing surgical blades, before deciding to try her hand at working in the pubs industry. Now responsible for overseeing the running of the pub, she is also currently busy planning the return of Jock Fest – a special weekend of live entertainment which is due to take place in July.
Joanne said: “If someone told me when I first joined the Horse & Jockey that I would one day become the manager of the venue, I’d never have believed them. I’ve enjoyed seeing the pub grow and develop over the past two years, but I don’t just want to rest on my laurels and I’m looking forward to the challenge of running the pub.”
The Horse & Jockey runs a happy hour every day from 4pm-7pm where all real ales are only £2.00 per pint. As with all Stancill Brewery pubs, CAMRA members receive a 20% discount on all Stancill beers. 
Operating a public house venue is not something new for Bradfield who have enjoyed a decade of success at their existing brewery tap, The Nags Head at Loxley. John Gill, Director at Bradfield Brewery, said of the acquisition: “We are excited at the opportunity to serve another local community with a traditional style public house which will offer great products in a friendly atmosphere. A traditional pub is something we believe should remain a part of our society and we are pleased to be bringing this offering to the local community of Deepcar and Stocksbridge”.
An exact date of reopening is yet to be confirmed but should be sometime during the summer. Further updates will be made available as we get them. 
A 1952 plan (Gerald Maynard & Co. D5328/21/3(i), Derbyshire Record Office, Matlock) shows the front entrance into a hall. On the left is a Tap Room (now the smoke room), while to the right are steps (up) and a Smoke Room. Ahead is a passage which runs the length of the two forward rooms with a bar counter ahead. The cellar is to the left of the bar, with a sitting room to the right. Further right are a Larder and Living Room.
The current layout and the 1952 plan suggest a mid-1950s refit which merged the two right rooms into a single lounge with the bar moving forward to its current central position and the snug taking the place of the bar counter and bar area.
We believe there have been no major changes since the mid-1950s. Apparently local craftsmen were used to do the work: stonemason for the fireplaces and carpenter for the bar front and wood panelling. Relatives of these craftsmen are still pub regulars.
The pub sign shows the Eyre family coat of arms. The arms on the wall of the lounge 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. The centrepiece is a solitary leg. Apparently, at the Battle of Hastings (1066), William the Conqueror was knocked from his horse. He was assisted by a soldier called Truelove who loosened the Kings’ helmet as his nose-plate was crushing his face. William then said “thou hast given me the air that I breathe – henceforth you will be known as Air (Eyr)”. Later in the battle, the King discovered that Truelove (Eyr) had to have a leg amputated. William told him that when he was recovered, he would give him some land. The soldier replied, ‘I shall call it Hope, for you have given me hope to live.’ There are two problems with this story: the Norman soldiers did not wear helmets of this type, and Truelove was an Anglo-Saxon name, not Norman.
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 pub has recently been proposed as a new entry on the CAMRA National Inventory of Pub Interiors.
Dave Pickersgill 
We sell one ale for now. This comes from Bradfield Brewery and changes every month (Irish Dexter for March, Plum Bitter in April) and at the end of each year customers can vote for their favourite one. We sell much more ale now than in previous years and are considering adding more pumps.
Our weekly events are: Monday – Snooker & Pool night, Wednesday – Quiz & Bingo night, Friday – Live Music every month or two, Saturday – Disco & Karaoke, Sunday – free jukebox evening (5pm – 10pm). Tuesday might become an open mic night soon.
We also do theme nights, charity nights, and offer a free venue for parties. The pub recently had a full refurbishment (painting, new carpets and flooring, decor, toilets) and we are renovating the beer garden this spring.
Alex Wainwright 
