Gardeners Rest, Neepsend is holding a Musicthon on Wednesday 18 September. This is a 12 hour mammoth music session aimed at raising money for Prostate Cancer UK. The event is not a series of concerts but a continuous musical session running from noon to midnight. As well as raising money for our nominated charity it will be a celebration of the pub’s past and contemporary music tradition. The entire day is free and open to anyone who wants to come and support us. If you are a player, singer or just a lover of music you will be most welcome to attend.
In conjunction with this Sheffield CAMRA will be holding a MusicAle social starting at 7.30pm there, then visiting a few local bars before returning to finish the night. Buses 7/8 serve the pub, while the Supertram stop is less than ten minutes away at Infirmary Road.
I have friends who live in Nether Edge, in Catcliffe and in Hillsbrough. My wife and I live in Dagenham and visit Sheffield a few times a year, we visited last month for the Tramlines music festival.
We felt the line up on Saturday was not to our liking so my friend John decided it was time for a pub crawl around an area of Sheffield that I hadn’t visited before, around Chesterfield Road and Abbeydale Road.
We took the bus easily from the city centre and met at The Sheaf View at lunchtime. The landlord was very chipper commenting on my Sheafs t shirt from the now disbanded band (hello lads if you’re reading this). He said it was the best pub with Sheafs in the name, that the left hand corner pump was the most popular and that the bagels he sells are the best in the city. Bold claims for sure!! I chose a pint of Bessemer Blonde from local Blue Bee brewery and sat in their garden. It was a clean crisp pint which I scored 3.5 out of 5 on a well known beer app.
We’d soon all met and finished our first drinks so we took the short walk up the hill to what is now called The Brothers Arms but from the outside used to be known as Ye Olde Shakespeare Inn. Again we sat in the garden which had a fantastic view. I chose a pint of Nectaron by Pictish Brewing Company, another solid pale ale that I also scored at 3.5.
Down the hill next to the White Lion. It had had started raining as we got to the pub so we sat in one of their snugs. I do like a pub with a snug. As I was on the quest for new beers I chose Park Life from the Tiny Rebel brewery in Newport, South Wales rather than the always fantastic Titanic Plum Porter. A bad mistake!! The beer was fresh but just not to my taste. I scored it 2.5 the lowest score of the day.
We tried to go into The Crown Inn but one of our 11 is only 9 and they only had a license for adults so they missed out on some good income especially as we were all ready for a bit of food.
Instead we walked across the River Sheaf and on to The Broadfield Ale House on Abbeydale Road where I had a pint of Twin Coast by Sharps Brewery in Cornwall. Again well kept. Again fresh and tasty. Again scored 3.5. At least I’m consistent!! It was a busier pub and had a younger crowd shown by all the check in’s on the app. I have to give a shout out to the sausage rolls which are to die for with each having a couple of pork scratchings on the top!!
The next stop was almost next door, to Two Thirds Beer Co, another venue for the young uns, where I enjoyed a pint of Sundancer from another local Sheffield brewery Triple Point, a hazy IPA that I scored yet another 3.5. On first sip I thought I should have ordered two thirds of a pint instead given the name of this bar!!
We then visited the basement bar Picture House Social a real games venue where we all played the weirdest game of Shuffle Board I’ve ever seen. Played with big sticks and down a lane around the length of a bowling alley. In London it’s more of a long table top game. Who was the best player? 9 year old Evie of course!! As we were so close to the brewery and as they were on, I had two from Abbeydale Brewery, a pint of Daily Bread scored at just 3 and a half of the ever popular Deception scored at a high so far of 3.75 brought down a little as served in a plastic due to us playing the game.
Next we decided it was time for some music as The Fringe festival was on. We headed for the city centre but stopped for a quick half in Jabbarwocky where we saw the end of a set by a 2 piece band, a guitarist and a trumpet player where I enjoyed Ribbons of Distinction Nelson Pale Ale by Carnival Brewing Company over in Liverpool which also scored 3.75.
A taxi was called over to Dorothy Pax, a very pleasant pub by the canal where we sat outside and heard sets by 2 bands. Here we were also served in plastics and I had a pint of Black Sheep Respire which I thought was very good and should be as mainstream as Black Sheep Bitter. I scored it 3.75. I also had a pint of IPA by Peak Ales a flavoursome beer at the day’s strongest 6%. I only scored this 3.25 of 5 probably because my taste buds were used to weaker beers.
We then decided to go for a curry but had time for one last beer in one of our favourite pubs The Crow Inn where I enjoyed a pint of Small Town by MBH Beer from Knutsford, Cheshire which I scored 3.5. We then walked back down the hill to 7 Spices Tandoori for what was a fantastic and very well needed curry.
We visited 9 pubs 7 of which were new to me. I enjoyed 10 pints and managed 11 new beers on the day which was very good for my quest for new beers. None of them were spectacular but I would have had a second pint of 10 of them.
I had a fantastic day. Each pub was different to the next, each had their quirks and each is worth a visit. Most importantly each knew how to keep and serve their beer. A visit to this part of the city is equally as rewarding as a visit to the popular Kelham Island. Maybe next time we’ll visit some of the hostelry’s we missed out this time.
The Red Deer reopened under new management following a refurbishment on 25 July.
The Black Bull in Ecclesfield reopened following a refurbishment.
The Fat Cat is now serving food again with the new menu launching 13 August, just ahead of the pub’s birthday celebration on 17 August which featured live music and DJ sets in the beer garden.
The remaining programme of summer gigs in the garden at the Banner Cross have been cancelled following complaints from neighbours.
Shakespeares Ale & Cider House have been keeping a status board updated counting how many cask ales they’ve served since becoming a free house 13 years ago in 2011. Through most of this time one of the regular house beers has been Abbeydale Deception and to celebrate hitting the landmark of 10,000 different cask ales served a special dry hopped edition of Deception is being brewed for the pub!
There has been a change of management at the Walkley Cottage Inn with the last day of the established people being 17 August.
The Nottingham House in Broomhill has been closed for refurbishment.
The Miners Arms in Eyam is hosting a beer festival and hog roast on Sunday 25 August.
The Gardeners Rest at Neepsend is holding a Facer’s Flintshire tap takeover on the weekend of 30-31 August then a charity music marathon on Wednesday 18 September, with a continuous musical session running from Noon to Midnight.
Friday 2 August saw the reopening of the Harlequin on Nursery Street, which is close to Kelham Island, the City Centre and Victoria Quays.
The pub has had a refurbishment that has seen the pub refreshed and repaired inside and out.
Harlequin lounge area, photo by Dave Pickersgill
The new management is Chris Bamford and Kate Major, who already operate the Rutland Arms and Crow Inn. The decor is similar to the Crow and the drinks range reflects the same ethos as both the other two pubs with only independent producers stocked wherever possible.
There has also been a liberal sprinkling of various designs of pride flags around the bar to make the point that they wish to provide a warm, welcoming and safe atmosphere for everyone, like any good pub does.
The bar boasts ten handpumps, of which seven are used to serve a wide range of cask ales ranging from session strength pale ales up to strong chocolate stouts! The remaining three handpumps are used for cider.
The three banks of keg taps feature a couple of lagers and a range of interesting craft beers of varying strength and styles. Check out the blackboard as you walk in for a list of beers and prices.
The lower part of the pub at the back has a brand new dartboard and the outdoor drinking area at the back has been tidied up and is in use. There are plans to give this some further attention in the near future to give it more of a garden feel.
Initially the pub is just serving drinks but a food service is planned, this is likely to launch in September offering a simple pub food menu using good, fresh ingredients. There is also talk of introducing live music at weekends.
The Harlequin opens at midday every day and stays open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, 11pm on other days.
108 Nursery Street, Sheffield S3 8GG. Buses 7,8,95,95a stop outside or use the pedestrian bridge across the river for free City Centre bus SC2 at Vulcan Square. For updates check their Facebook page.
Note bus services in the area change from 1 September – the 95/95a will be replaced by the 76/76a/76e.
Multi-site operator Thornbridge & Co has announced they will be opening a new site ‘The Fargate’ just across from Sheffield Town Hall as part of the new developments taking place throughout Sheffield City Centre.
Thornbridge & Co is a joint venture between Thornbridge Brewery and Pivovar, the company that runs the Sheffield Tap. Other sites include the Bankers Cat in Leeds, Market Cat in York and the Colmore in Birmingham.
Director Jamie Hawksworth explained “The Fargate is going to be one of Sheffield’s most prominent pubs with over £1M of investment being made on the new bespoke interior. This is going to be a wonderful showcase for The Brewery and its beers will be served over a beautiful polished oak island bar surrounded by hand crafted oak panelling and leather banquet seating. We think it will be a great boost to the great work all ready been made to make the City Centre great again. Work is expected to start on the fit-out later this year with an opening date yet to be announced.”
Fellow Director, Simon Webster commented further “We have been working with Sheffield City Council for over a year in identifying this site and then working together to offer outdoor seating as part of the new Fargate development. The views from both inside and out of this prestigious building will add to the customer experience. Thornbridge & Co is delighted to be able to invest in Sheffield City Centre and is delighted to be part of the new development of Fargate and create a great gateway to Heart of The City”
Cllr Ben Miskell, Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “I’m delighted to welcome this fantastic addition of Thornbridge & Co to our rapidly transforming city centre. The Fargate will breathe new life into a beautiful building across from the Town Hall and will fit in brilliantly alongside the many new shops, offices and other hospitality venues that are opening up throughout the city centre. The addition of outdoor seating, made possible thanks to the improvements to the surrounding area, along with the bespoke interior will add The Fargate to the list of must-visit places within Sheffield.”.
The Big Gun (13-17 Wicker, S3 8HS), a pub with interior features of Special Heritage Interest, closed in September 2023. In May, several months after building work commenced, a retrospective planning application (24/01523/FUL) was submitted to Sheffield City Council (SCC). Work completed includes the creation of a new shop front, the replacement of windows and the fitting of roller shutters.
In July, SCC produced their verdict: ‘Grant Conditionally’ – hence, the current owners have retrospective planning permission for the building work they have done (and stated that they intend to do). Some Victorian fittings are lost forever.
In the SCC documentation, the Planning Officer Report mentions, that change of use from a pub has not been applied for and refers to the building as a pub throughout. In addition, the decision states: ‘Planning permission will be required for the change of use of the pub (Sui Generis) and ancillary residential accommodation and storage use to commercial use (Class E) and residential accommodation (C3/C4).’
To summarise, there is no planning permission for ‘change of use:’ the Big Gun has been a pub for over 200 years, and will remain so. We await developments, with interest.
We’ve been back at it again with one of our local Brass Band’s, The Oughtibridge Brass Band, touring around Kelham Island, Neepsend & Finishing back at The Dorothy Pax.
We love these tours around some of our favourite boozers in Sheffield. This time around on our summer tour we brought tunes to your ears to raise money for vital band equipment. Music instruments are expensive, especially when they are made of brass. The band, formed in 1890, needs to cover the cost of a new tuba and a new set of drum cymbals to continue teaching, developing and performing with the youth talent of their band for many to years come! Donations welcome!
The Dorothy Pax is going back to its Grassroots for their Tramlines Fringe Event, Canal-Lines. All free, just as it should be!
Richard commented “…we’d love to go big again this year, but it’s been so tough for us all this year that we’ve decided to go back to our roots. We’ve got a stunning lineup of amazing artists, we’re so excited to be working with our partners Waterbear College of Music, Sammy Fangers and of course The Chalton Country Club. I can’t stop waving my arms around with glee like Wallace and Gromit when they know there’s a cheddar moment inbound!”
The DPx will have their usual bountiful inside bar, a Triple Point Tap Takeover on the outside bar and the world exclusive of a new TP release. There’ll be plenty of outside seating and outside speakers so you can hear the performances whilst catching some rays, fingers crossed.
Richard also said “This year’s Tramlines Fringe is simply epic, so many great gigs over the weekend at so many great boozers and venues. We should be extremely proud of what we can achieve collectively in our city. Please support all the venues across the weekend. This is a world-class event, our own SXSW…get involved.”
All the Pax Crew have worked so hard to deliver a great program, this truly is a family-focused event. Bring the kids, bring the dawgs and we’ll provide the collective cheer!
Further information on our website here: https://dorothypax.com/canal-lines-2024/
Kate Major & Chris Bamford, the team behind CAMRA award winning pubs The Crow Inn and The Rutland Arms have signed the lease on their third pub, The Harlequin.
Situated down on Nursery Street overlooking the River Don on the edge of Kelham Island, the pub has been closed for a short period since late May after the departure of the previous longstanding tenants.
A refurbishment is being carried out, with a plan to reopen with a focus on real ale, cider and craft beer as well as spirits and wines from independent producers.
Reopening is planned for late July or early August. Good quality pub food and live music will follow in the coming months.
UPDATE – the Harlequin will be opening on Friday 2 August. Opening hours is midday to midnight.
Whilst the main ticketed event takes place in Hillsborough Park over the weekend of 26-28 July, a whole bunch of pubs, bars and clubs across the City Centre, Kelham Island and beyond take part in the fringe festival, which also includes an outdoor stage on Devonshire Green. The majority of fringe events offer free entry. We’ve taken a look at what some of the real ale serving venues are doing to help you plan an enjoyable weekend featuring live music, DJs and good beer!
Of course there will be much more going on than we’ve been able to include here – this should give you a flavour – keep an eye on venues social media for the latest or there is a page on the Welcome to Sheffield website for the official fringe or the Clashfinder website provides a handy listings service for all venues.
The Dorothy Pax at Victoria Quays despite being a small, cosy, railway arch bar has a busy programme of live music and if its busy they’ll be piping the audio outside to their waterside seating area! Their “Canal Lines” kicks off early on Thursday 25th at 6:30pm with a line up curated by Waterbear the college of music then on Friday from 6pm it’s an indie showcase. Saturday is an all-dayer with music kicking off at 1:30pm with a mix of live music and DJs under the “Dorothy Pax presents” banner.
At the Washington on Fitzwilliam Street they have live music inside and DJs outside until 10pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday followed by the usual late night DJs keeping the party going until 4am (3am Sunday!). On Friday festivities kick off at 4pm with 5 bands on, headlined by “Bag of Cans”, Saturday they’re open from 2pm and the headline band is “The Hot Soles”. Sunday is also a 2pm opening with 7 bands on the roster with “We Hate The Sharkman” headlining.
The Dove & Rainbow at Hartshead Square (off High Street) also has live entertainment over Friday to Sunday and as you’d expect is a little more alternative. Friday is “Reyt Against the Machine” and “Play Dead”, Saturday is “Firegarden” and “Baranovich” whilst Sunday the stage is graced by “Skip Rat”, “Inequality Street” and “Ball Britain”.
The Church House, located by the Cathedral tram stop (and of course by the cathedral too!) is well known for having bands on at the weekend, usually but not always of the classic rock genre, naturally has live music for the Tramlines Fringe and have really pushed the boat out with 15 acts over 3 days. Things kick off at 5:30pm on Friday with Saturday and Sunday seeing all day entertainment – from 2:45pm Saturday and 1:30pm Sunday.
Shakespeares Ale & Cider House on Gibraltar Street is a well known Tramlines fringe venue with a busy programme of gigs in the upstairs room on Friday and Saturday. Friday is “Shamlines” presented by Earwig featuring “Queen Cult”, “Guts”, “Mouthparts” and “Dearthworms” whilst Saturday is “Shakelines” presented by Jarred Up featuring 10 different bands.
Another pub well known for its Fringe action is the Frog & Parrot on Division Street. On the Saturday they will be opening their doors at 11am ready for the first act of 12 coming on at midday!
Alder has goings on all weekend. Things kick off Friday night with a gig by Mass House at 8:30pm (ish) then Saturday has 5 bands on stage from 6pm onwards with a whole mix of genres ranging from pop to post punk whilst Sunday is a more chilled out vinyl playing affair.
Saw Grinders Union have their own little festival on the Friday with food, drink, music and an exhibition.
The Fat Cat starts their party on Friday night with blues from Rocket 88 at 8pm; then on Saturday 11am to 11pm the entertainment is both kicked off and concluded by DJ sets from Big Shaun, in-between are performances from Sarah Mac, Banjo Jen and Kiziah & The Kings. The weekend here is finished off on Sunday with Billy & The Axe Man playing at 3pm.
If you are wanting to go somewhere a bit fun, perhaps after seeing a few bands, then the Three Tuns has karaoke from 8pm until 2am on Friday and Saturday night then on Sunday it’s a “Laughternoon” with comedy and music from 4pm.
Meanwhile out at Heeley (get there by bus 20, 24, 25, 43, 43a, 44 or X17) the Sheaf View are hosting “Sheaf Lines” with live acts over the weekend.
Jabbarwocky on London Road are also participating in the festivities on Saturday with “Jabzlines” featuring live entertainment from 3pm until 11:30pm. Buses 20, 43, 43a, 44, 75, 76, 86, 97 and 98 go there.
If you are looking for something more laid back the Old Shoe in Orchard Square have acoustic live music along with vinyl DJ sets. If you want something to eat whilst in the area the Sheffield Plate food hall across the square will be open and also have entertainment!
If you’re visiting the outdoor stage on Devonshire Green on the Saturday and fancy some decent beer and a burger then True North Brewery is next door and hosting an open day.
The Red Deer, freshly reopened, has live performances on Saturday with Harri Larkin from 4pm and Martha Makes Mistakes from 6:30pm.
The Dog & Partridge have their usual Sunday acoustic session in the back from from 6pm.
