Category: Pubs

Last month we looked at the great beer scene that has developed in the ‘Heeley Triangle’ creating a beer destination away from the usual City Centre and Kelham Island circuits. This month we look at another part of Sheffield with a cluster of good pubs a short bus ride from town. The two key bus corridors here are the 52/52a along the main road in Crookes and the 95 along the main road in Commonside and Walkley, supplemented by the less frequent route 31 which wends its way to Walkley via a more off-piste route! It is walkable between all the pubs featured, however note there are hills involved. All pubs that serve real ale are listed, however due to space constraints we are just featuring those with the more interesting beer range.

Commonside (route 95)

Closed Shop

Traditional friendly local in a residential setting. With a focus on customer service and traditional pub values. Taken over in 2013 by the team from the Rutland Arms and went through a major refurb. A wide range of ales and ciders is always available and the food is very good proper pub food. Weekly quiz each Wednesday and Sunday. 8 real ales available featuring Blue Bee Brewery and guests.

Hallamshire House

Known as the “tardis” this small frontage pub has a snug, pool room, bar area leading through to a large lounge and oak panelled snooker room with full size table. Is now run by Thornbridge Brewery offering at least five of their cask ales plus guest beers and a wide range of bottled beers.

Springvale

Walkley (routes 31, 31a, 95)

Blake Hotel

At the top of a steep hill (pedestrian handholds provided), this community pub reopened as a free house in 2010 after seven years of closure. Extensively restored, it has retained many Victorian features, with original etched windows and mirrors. At the rear is a large decked garden. The five guest beers usually include a stout or porter, the majority from small independent breweries. The pub also provides probably the largest selection of whisky in Sheffield with over 200 available. No electronic games, TV or jukebox.

Walkley Beer Company

A small specialist beer shop that opens weekends only with a tasting bar offering the choice to drink inside. A choice of three cask beers are available with beer served on gravity, the range changes each weekend. There is also a craft keg line.

Walkley Cottage

Crookes (routes 52, 52a)

Ball Inn

Large pub served from one bar. Has 15 hand pumps with at least one cider. Wooden panelled snug area still remains with carpeted floor. Two pool tables in raised area at the back. Can show three sports channels on TV screens. Large outdoor patio area. Recently refurbished.

Punchbowl

Large pub with 8 real ales, extensive selection of rums and a pizza oven.

Crookes Social Club

A kind of twin scene venue – the main lounge is members only but the tap room is open to all visitors. There is also a concert room which hosts regular gigs and an annual beer festival. Whether drinking in the members lounge or tap room, there is a selection of reasonably priced real ales available, usually from Stancill Brewery.

Princess Royal

Cobden View

Old Grindstone

Noah’s Ark

Masons Arms

Bus summary

31/31a: City Centre (Angel Street, near Castle Square tram stop) – Upperthorpe – Walkley – Hillsborough – Loxley: serves the Blake Hotel and Walkley Beer Company 52/52a: Woodhouse – City Centre (Church Street and West Street) – University – Broomhill – Crookes – Hillsborough – Wisewood: serves the Grindstone, Ball Inn, Crookes Social Club and the Punchbowl 95: City Centre (Interchange, Flat Street, Church Street and West Street) – Commonside – Walkley: serves the Hallamshire House, Closed Shop, Walkley Beer Company and Walkley Cottage. Bus operators are a mixture of First, Stagecoach and Sheffield Community Transport. Travelmaster offer a range of unlimited travel tickets valid on all operators including the Citybus day ticket at £4 and the Citywide bus & tram day ticket at £4.30. Available from bus drivers and tram conductors (cash only). More information at travelsouthyorkshire.com.

The Broomhill Tavern is on a prominent corner at the top of Glossop Road and following it’s exterior refurbishment is quite outstanding. This family run pub has seven hand pumps on the bar serving Abbeydale Moonshine, Bradfield Blonde, Sharp’s Doom Bar and Tetley Bitter. There is a full menu and food is served from noon until 6pm. Regular locals and students are made to feel welcome and all enjoy the quiz nights on Monday and Tuesday. There is both Sky and BT Sports and free Wi Fi is available. Bus 120 runs past the pub.

Many real ale drinkers and pub lovers in Sheffield have in recent years identified the Heeley triangle as an up-and-coming beer destination to follow the already established Kelham Island/Upper Don Valley circuit, however many would now argue it has arrived. There are some great pubs in the area – some long established favourites and some that have dramatically improved recently. The one word of warning is many of them can be very busy on match days when Sheffield United are at home. There are two interprations of the Heeley Triangle – the small version at Heeley bottom, taking in the Sheaf View, Brothers Arms and White Lion; and the bigger version including London Road, Bramall Lane and Abbeydale Road. To start, there are three key bus route corridors taking you to and around the Heeley Triangle and I will be describing pubs in such geographic order. Abbeydale Road corridor – routes 75, 76, 85, 86, 97, 98, 218 London Road/Chesterfield Road corridor – routes 20, 43, 43a, 44 Queens Road/Chesterfield Road corridor – routes 24, 25 Plus some miscellaneous others – the 10/10a from Broadfield to Chesterfield Road, the 18 and 252 along Bramall Lane to Heeley Green and the X17 non stop City to Heeley Bridge. Starting on London Road, we have the Beer Engine. This was reopened in its current guise by Tom Harrington, who has created a friendly, laid back craft beer pub with knowledgeable staff and 6 real ale handpumps plus 4 guest keg lines. The regular house casks are from Neepsend Brewery, the rest are regular changing guests and always something interesting. Food is also available – Pub Tapas Monday to Saturday and traditional roast dinners on Sundays – all fresh ingredients. On the other side of the main road is the Clubhouse. Very much as sports bar, popular on Sheffield United match days, but also has decent beer and cider along with a range of bar food. Moving along London Road now, there is the Albion. A simple drinkers pub popular with football supporters, it also offers a range of mainly local real ales. The Cremorne is a long established multi pump real ale and live music venue. Pizzas also feature here. Meanwhile on the parallel road, Bramall Lane, opposite the football stadium you will find the Railway, which has been under new ownership in the last year. It has enjoyed a refurbishment and the addition of an interesting range of real ales at reasonable prices and has become a really good, comfortable ‘local’ with three distinct areas – the bar area, the lounge and a pool table area. Onto Chesterfield Road to Heeley itself, alight the bus at Ponsfords furniture store and next door you will find the White Lion pub which still has a wonderfully old fashioned layout where you enter via a corridor with various drinking rooms to choose from along the corridor, which opens out into a wider area that hosts live music many evenings. You could describe the White Lion as part of Sheffield’s pub heritage – it also has a decent selection of ales! Further along the main road there is the Crown, a traditional locals pub with a good beer garden, the real ale choice is a bit more mainstream here but reasonably priced. If you carry on past the Crown to Meersbrook, you will find the Tramshed bar, a small but popular place that has no draught beer but an interesting bottled selection. Head uphill from Ponsfords and you will reach the Brothers Arms. Formerly known as the Olde Shakespeare, the pub was renamed to celebrate the new managers backing of local ukulele paradody band the Everley Pregnant Brothers. A decent selection of mainly local ales can be found on the bar at reasonable prices, as can some quality bar snacks including pork pies. An outdoor drinking area adjoins the pub that boasts a view right across the City Centre from it’s hill side location. Just around the corner and downhill slightly is the Sheaf View, which 16 years ago was a closed and boarded up pub that got bought by James Birkett, refurbished and extended and has ever since offered a changing range of real ales at reasonable prices along with an impressive whisky selection. An outdoor drinking area also features. Meanwhile over on Abbeydale Road – from Heeley is walkable or a short ride on the 10/10a Community Transport bus – is another good beer hotspot. Picture House Social can be found in the basement of the Old Abbeydale Cinema, a landmark white building. The main bar room is comfortable and has an art deco style to it, reflecting that it is located in a former 1920s ballroom, the bar has a choice of three real ales and a regularly changing bottled craft beer selection. To the rear of the bar room is a more basic Italian Street Food diner where you can enjoy freshly made pizza and there is also a games room with ping pong tables (you can hire bats and balls from the bar). At the other side of the crossroads is the Broadfield, a pub run by True North Brewery with the restaurant section well known for it’s home made pies. The rest of the pub is refurbished with a mixed theme of an ale house with some booths in the style of old railway passenger train compartments. Both the real ale handpumps and the keg taps offer beer from True North plus interesting guests, there is also a beer garden at the rear. Next door to the Broadfield is Hop Hideout, a specialist beer off licence offering bottled beers from around the world plus a couple of craft keg beers on tap for either drinking on the premises or for growler fills to takeaway.

Bamford Community Society and Bamford and District History Group have succeeded in getting Heritage Lottery Funding for a project to research the history of The Anglers Rest in Bamford. As part of this project we are looking to collect stories and photographs of The Anglers Rest, particularity between 1950 and 2000. Did you used to work there? Have you got any stories about the pub and its history? Did you have a party there? Have you got any photographs, particularly of the inside of the pub? Anything is of  interest to us to help fill in gaps in the history of the building. In October 2013 after a long, hard fought campaign, The Anglers was purchased collectively by over 300 people and became the first community owned pub in the High Peak. In late 2012, The Bamford Community Society, a community benefit society, was formed in order to purchase the pub, after it was threatened with closure. The community society had an overwhelming response, working together to save the Anglers.  Asset of Community Value (ACV) status was obtained with High Peak Borough Council (HPBC) in May 2013. This provided a clear breathing space while business plans were formulated. If you have information about the Anglers, could you contact  Sally Soady [email: bcscompsec@gmail.com ]