Category: Pubs

The team at Champs Sports Bar in Sheffield is celebrating after being shortlisted as a national finalist in the Great British Pub Awards for the Second year running. Licensee Danny Grayson has been recognised as one of only five finalists in the Best Student Bar and Best Sports Bar categories and will go on to compete in the national awards which take place in London in October. Champs on Ecclesall Road opened in August 2012 following a joint £500,000 investment with Punch Taverns, which transformed the former Pomona into a cool and contemporary sports bar, With 31 large TV screens showing high profile sports all day every day, from Premiership football matches to horse racing and superbikes, Champs is a sports lover’s dream. The modern and welcoming interior, complete with a wide range of sporting memorabilia including a full-size motorbike (which proves very popular with our Student customers) gives it a real edge over other venues. Licensee Danny Grayson said: “I could see the potential with Champs and its History on Ecclesall road dating back to 1996, Champs Sports Bar taps into our fascination with sports and thanks to a creative approach and a focus on standards, we’ve created a winning concept. But, Champs is much more than that; it’s at the heart of our Student community, sponsoring Student football teams and creating a space where Students can come together and enjoy the match or just relax.” The sports interior is complemented with a strong food and drink offer, based on good quality and value for money. With a striking American grill theme, the menu includes favourites from American Ribs to Build A Burger and the Kamikaze Wing Challenge. All of the bar’s the food is from local suppliers and cooked fresh on the premises. Commenting on the recognition, Danny Grayson said: “The team have worked extremely hard to create this successful venue. It’s not just about the sports; it’s about the staff, all of whom are highly motivated and passionate about customer care and it’s about the customers – a winning combination in anyone’s book! Let’s hope we bring home the trophy.” Danny Grayson.  

The Old Crown on London Road is now open serving a range of ever changing local and nationally sourced real ales with a newly developed food menu to launch shortly. The pub is the latest addition to Reet Ale Pubs, so you know what to expect really, the same level of charm and tomfoolery as our sister pubs, Rutland Arms, Closed Shop, Three Tuns and Punchbowl. We have a really amazing space that we’re hoping to become a part of Sheffield’s already thriving live music and entertainment scene, and would love to hear from any bands, djs, comedians, poets or promoters if you have ideas for an event. Our pub is your pub, so pop in and grab a pint! Our launch party is going to be on the Weds 28th September, so we would love it if you could spread the word! Cheers Cara, Manager at the Old Crown

Following a £550,000 refurbishment by Punch Taverns, the Abbey in Woodseats reopened its doors to the general public on 12 August. At a pre-launch event the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Denise Fox, cut the ribbon officially reopening this historic former coaching inn on the junction of Chesterfield Road and Abbey Lane. The general manager, Wayne Morton, an experienced licensee from Sheffield, is presenting four real ales – two regular ales, including Sharp’s Doom Bar, and two guest ales. The pub is also offering a popular pub classic menu, with a twist. The refurbishment has been sympathetic, with an unchanged room layout, but has also brought the upstairs function room back into use (featuring its own bar), and provided a welcome upgrade to the adjoining bowling green facilities.

Local pub is ‘Angling’ for your support for solar power  The Angler’s Rest in Bamford, a community owned pub, shop and café, is in the running for a share of the £350,000 M&S Community Energy Fund, after applying for funding to enable them to install solar panels. Now, the Derbyshire base community business is asking local people to show their support and to help them to save some of its annual £20,000 energy bill, by voting for the project online at: www.mandsenergyfund.com/projects/power-to-the-anglers The M&S Community Energy Fund is a national renewable community energy project competition, and was launched earlier this summer. The fund will be awarding two national awards of £40,000 and £20,000, regional awards for projects across Great Britain that require a maximum of £12,500, and £15,000 for the most inspiring or innovative project. If the bid is successful, the Angler’s Rest intends to install solar panels in their car park, which would offset a chunk of their £20,000 annual energy bill. Chris Williams, Finance Director at the Anglers Rest explains, “We are so proud of the pub and everything it brings to the local community. We have been running as a community hub for the past three years and 80 per cent of our members say that they have met more people as a result of being involved with the project, with 75 per cent saying that they fell more part of the community. “We are managing our finances and spend £250,000 a year in our local economy, but we are always looking for ways to save money and to lower our running costs. We are also keen to be green and we are working on the building to make it more energy efficient, but what would really help up would be to reduce our crippling energy bill. It currently costs £20,000 a year for the energy to keep the building open from 8am for the café and post office, through to pub closing time. “We have planning permission for solar panels in our car park, and volunteers have helped us to prepare the site. Now all we need are the panels themselves, and that’s where the M&S Community Energy Fund comes in. “We hope that local people will get behind this community business and vote for us. It is really quick and easy to vote online and winning would make a huge difference to our community hub.” For more information on the project and to vote please visit www.mandsenergyfund.com/projects/power-to-the-anglers

The Upper Don Valley between Sheffield City Centre and Hillsborough, which includes Kelham Island, Shalesmoor and Neepsend, is Sheffield’s famous Valley of beer with enough good beer pubs to keep ale lovers happy for a while! The pubs are easily accessible with the 7/8 bus running frequently down one side of the valley and the Blue and Yellow tram lines running down the other. A Citywide all day bus & tram pass is available for £4.30 if you want to hop on and off and visit all the venues featured.

Tram route

Head down left of the cathdral from the tram stop, over Campo Ln, left down through Paradise Sq. and you’ll come to the Three Tuns, a striking triangular Victorian pub (with LEGO version inside) normally with one or more beers from Blue Bee Brewery (based just a short distance up the valley) on its 6 pumps. With Shakespeares just round the corner (see below) this hidden gem is a great stop on the way to or from the Kelham Island district. Alternatively, alight at Shalesmoor and you’ll find your first pub almost on the platform. At the time of writing, the Wellington was closed for refurbishment but is due to reopen in September as the tap for Neepsend Brewery and may revert to its previous name of the Cask & Cutler. Across the roundabout is the Ship Inn, part of the Artisan Tap chain and also recently refurbished in a style that combines contemporary with heritage. This pub offers a selection of cask ales and also has an easily accessible world bottled beer fridge. Walk along the ring road and you will come to Shakepeare’s on Gibralter Street, a classic hostelry originally designed as a coaching inn with facilities to stable the horse and carriage around the back. Nowadays its a no frills multi roomed alehouse with a large selection of reasonably priced real ales, real ciders, keg beers, whiskys and gins. There is a live music room upstairs and a courtyard outdoor drinking area at the rear. From here if you fancy going off on a bit of a tangent, geographically, you can get the 31 bus up the steep hill to the Blake at Walkley which offers a relaxed environment to enjoy a selection of reasonably priced real ales. It is also known for an extensive whisky selection. On the other side of the ring road can be found the Kelham Island Tavern, which has won CAMRA’s national Pub of the Year award twice in recent years. This pub ticks a lot of boxes for the discerning real ale drinker – wide range covering all the basic beer styles, served in oversized glasses ensuring a full measure, reasonable prices and a friendly, clean and comfortable environment – plus a lovingly maintained beer garden at the rear. Just around the corner is the Fat Cat, owned by the neighbouring Kelham Island Brewery and featuring theirs and changing guest beers. This is a classic pub that was the one that kicked off the real ale showcase pub revolution back in the 1980s, it features two drinking rooms, a kiosk bar and a fantastic beer garden as well as a function room upstairs and a function ‘shed’ in the garden. The pub has also been known for many years for its food that has always been a favourite with students living nearby – low cost, simple home cooking with a changing blackboard menu that always has a vegetarian, vegan and gluten free option. Further along the tram line, alight Langsett Primrose View for the Hillsborough Hotel. This has a modern feel in both the drinking and dining rooms with a third room available in the form of a conservatory, where a door leads to an outdoor drinking and smoking area overlooking the valley. Home cooked food and accommodation is also available. At Hillsborough, the there is a real ale pub on both tram platforms. Outbound is the Rawson Spring, a Wetherspoons pub converted from the building’s previous use as swimming baths offering all the usual ‘Spoony features including a range of reasonably priced real ale and food plus an outdoor drinking area; On the inbound side of the road is the Hillsborough Tap, previously known as Legends Sports Bar. From Bamforth Street tram stop you can walk down onto Penistone Road to the New Barrack Tavern (and the bus routes down the valley). This is a multi roomed roadhouse pub favoured by the more discerning Sheffield Wednesday fan as well as those that enjoy the Castle Rock and guest beers on the bar or the live music and comedy nights held at weekends. Food also available.

7/8 bus route

The Gardeners Rest and Neepsend sits in the shadow of the remains of the old long abandoned Stones Brewery and offers a choice of four drinking areas – the snug room, the lounge, the conservatory and the riverside garden (filled with all sorts of arty junk!). Some evenings sees musicians perform in the lounge and there is a quiz every Sunday. The Gardeners is the tap for Sheffield Brewery Company and also has a range of guest beers that are often from new breweries around the country not seen elsewhere in Sheffield yet! Up the hill on Rutland Road is the Forest, this two room community pub is the brewery tap for Toolmakers Brewery. On the other side of the traffic lights from the Gardeners Rest, on the one way system, you will find Sheffield Brewery Company. They have a monthly beer club (first Friday of the month) where the bar in the brewery opens to the public, the latest monthly special is launched and live music and a BBQ also takes place. Across the road is Peddler Market, an old factory/warehouse kind of place. Depot Bakery is a permanant resident on the adjoining courtyard where you can go for coffee, cakes and more, however once a month (first weekend of the month on Friday night 5pm-11pm and Saturday 2pm-11pm) the whole complex opens up with a big street food party featuring food traders, bars (including a real ale bar), ‘makers’ craft stalls and music. Further towards town, on Mowbray Street, is the Riverside bar, recently taken over by True North Brewery and has a slightly trendier vibe than other pubs in the area. A range of beers are available, a simple food menu and an outdoor drinking area overlooking the river. Finally, on the other side of the roundabout on Nursery Street is the Harlequin. A fairly large pub with an L shaped room wrapped around the bar, this showcases beers from Exit 33 Brewing plus guest ales; also featured here is probably Sheffield’s best choice of traditional cider and perry. Food is also available at meal times and live music often features at the weekend.

The Plough Inn (Crosspool) was a Tennants pub for many years. In 1962, ownership changed when Whitbread took over Sheffield-based Tennants. More recently, in 2003, Enterprise Inns took ownership of the pub. Since that date, there appears to have been no serious maintenance work. Some would claim that Enterprise have left the pub to rot. When the pub closed in 2015, a local community group got together and successfully obtained ACV (Asset of Community Value) status from Sheffield City Council (SCC). Enterprise Inns then leased the building to Sainsburys. We understand that Sainsburys had a pre-planning permission meeting with SCC last November. Sainsburys then waited until peak holiday time before, on 2^nd.August, submitting a planning application to SCC to turn the pub into a ‘convenience store.’ Without the ACV status, such a change of use would not require a formal planning application. The deadline for responses is 24^th.August. Full details: http://preview.tinyurl.com/jxoyovg The pub is adjacent to the ground of Hallam FC (the 2nd.oldest football club in the world). Hallam occupy Sandygate, the oldest football ground in the world, the site of the first football game (Hallam v Sheffield FC) as recognised by FIFA. The Plough is important in the history of football (the first inter-club game was adjacent, the rules of football written in the pub ………). Hallam FC also have various anniversary events planned in the near future, including an event when various old football trophies will be in the same place for the first time before going to Zurich to the FIFA Museum. We can only assume that Sainsburys were not aware of the historical importance when they took on the site. If they were aware, we would hope that they would not be aiming to effectively destroy a national historic asset. An ideal solution would be for the Plough to become a football museum with a community bar. We hope sense will prevail. In the interim, please do not be hesitant is posting objections to the planning application. Dave Pickersgill, Pub Heritage Officer