The Wharncliffe Arms at Wharncliffe Side reopened on 23rd May 2025 after closure for almost two years. Extensively renovated by the owners, Bradfield Brewery, with wood half-panelling and leather covered seating: both armchairs and wall-mounted. The one L-shaped room is sensitively split by the use of panelling. Outside drinking areas at both front and rear, with the rear sloping over a grassed area to the River Don.
At the Devonshire Arms in Dore Cath & David are celebrating 10 years there on Sunday 15 June from 3pm.
The Brothers Arms in Heeley is hosting “One Mole for the Road” on Saturday 5 July, this is an annual music festival celebrating a legend – Adrian “Mole” Price. The afternoon starts with DJ Tink from 2pm with bands on from 3pm – The Yons, SPG, Rockett 88 and Kingfisher Blue.
June saw Craftworks in Mosborough celebrate their 4th anniversary. This is a micropub that is open all day catering for all moods – you can enjoy a coffee and cake in the morning, quiet pint in the afternoon or a more lively evening with quiz nights, live acoustic music performances, comedy and more taking place from time to time. A range of real ales and other craft beers are available here. Another small venue celebrating 4 years is the Bear on Abbeydale Road who marked the occasion with a birthday weekend from 20 to 22 June featuring a special one off beer, music and pop up food traders. On a normal day this is basically a specialist beer shop with a number of craft beer keg taps offering the option to drink in as well as taking cans and bottles home.
The Bulls Head in Ranmoor has reopened under new management, who previously ran the Rivelin Hotel. Food is available including classic pub dishes, burgers, steaks and pasta plus of course Sunday roasts.
The Castle in Hillsborough is expected to reopen on 4 July following new management taking on the lease. It is owned by the Stonegate pub company.
The Sheffield Half Pint Marathon initiative is taking place again this year during September. This sees a special charity beer brewed that is on sale across 13 venues including True North’s pubs and others and the idea is you visit all 13 venues and have a half of the special beer at each one, raising money for charity and potentially winning a prize for doing so!
Dog & Partridge food menu
The Dog & Partridge in Sheffield City Centre now has its kitchen open again with a menu of Irish snacks including the Dublin Spice Bags!
The Church House in Sheffield City Centre (near Cathedral tram stop), has started doing food again with a weekly special served Thursdays 4pm to 8pm and Friday to Sunday midday to 8:30pm. At the weekend if you are going there to see the band at night you can now get down there earlier, bag a table and have a bite to eat first!
The Red Lion in Litton took part in Wakes Week celebrations and on Saturday 21 June they not only hosted a weekend beer festival but was also a venue for the steam engine rally.
The Calver Arms is hosting an evening with retired footballer Bruce Grobbelaar on 4 September for £60 per person. This includes a two course meal and welcome drink and there will also be a memorabilia raffle and auction.
The courtyard drinking area at the George in Tideswell, on a rainy day!
The George Inn at Tideswell is now open again under the new management of Sarah as part of Rick Ellison’s Atlantik Inns group. The pub is leased from Greene King brewery and has 3 real ales on the bar, a games room with darts and pool table and a smart courtyard drinking area outside. At some point soon the kitchen is to be opened and the pub has a lounge shaped in a way that naturally lends itself to having a separate dining area. Longer term projects potentially include reopening the hotel rooms and function room upstairs and renovating the other buildings around the courtyard that come with the pub but need work to be brought back into use.
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One Valley Festival sees a number of different pubs, a club and a brewery tap all host events on the same day so you can explore Dronfield town and surrounding countryside experiencing a variety of beer, music and food. The town centre venues are all walkable from Dronfield railway station whilst all venues are on a bus route (one of 15, 16, 43 or 44). The date this year is Saturday 7 June.
The rural pub that takes part is the Miners Arms in Hundall. This sees a stage appear in the beer garden with live music through the afternoon and the outside bar open with an extended range of ales and cider plus a burger stall. Hundall is a hillside location with the pub offering a view over the valley as well as the neighbouring cricket pitch! Bus 15 (Dronfield-Chesterfield) stops outside the pub until about 6pm.
Down in the valley at Unstone is Drone Valley Brewery who have a tap staffed by volunteers (most of the profits go to local good causes) and they rather push the boat out for One Valley day. Various tents appear in the yard to supplement the bar in the brewery with seating areas, music stage, cocktail bar and food vendor (Gow’s Kitchen). Buses 43 and 44 (Sheffield-Chesterfield) stop on the main road at the end of their drive.
In the suburb of Dronfield Woodhouse are two pubs, the Jolly Farmer (on bus route 43) and Miners Arms (on bus route 16). At the Jolly Farmer festivities take place around the outdoor drinking area with outside bar, BBQ and live entertainment. They also serve breakfasts in the morning (booking recommended) Meanwhile up the road at the Miners live entertainment is planned in the evening with an acoustic set by Ethan Massingham. During the afternoon you can chill out with a beer in their garden and maybe grab a bite to eat!
Dronfield town centre is split into two areas – The High Street and Dronny Bottom and each have a cluster of venues. The Civic Centre is the bus terminus for rural bus routes 15 and 16 whilst bus 43 stops outside Sainsburys, these are all close to the High Street. Meanwhile Dronny Bottom is where the railway station is, with bus routes 15 and 44 passing through too.
There are Three venues along High Street and Church Street – Blue Stoops, Manor House Hotel and Green Dragon whilst at Dronny Bottom you will find the Beer Stop, Dronfield Arms, Underdog bar and White Swan. Also not far from the High Street, across the road from Sainburys, is the Victoria.
The Victoria is a typical street corner boozer with dart board, pool table and football on the telly. For festival day they will have a DJ on playing tunes from 3pm until about 10pm.
At the Manor House, their cafe bar opens serving breakfast in the morning with their bar opening from 10am. However festivities are outside from midday with the rear drinks terrace extended into part of the car park where they will have two outside bars (one serving cask ale from Abbeydale Brewery with the other bar serving lager, spirits etc) and a food trailer from Pellizco (Mexican street food). Live music will be provided outside by the Britpop rockers at 4pm and 6pm then from 7:30pm onwards DJ Brad Gee will be keeping the party going.
The extensive outdoor drinking area at the Blue Stoops gets extended into the closed off car park and will be filled with 4 outside bars, a food stall doing burgers and loaded chips whilst a DJ will be out there providing a sound track!
The Green Dragon also extends their outside drinking area into a closed off car park on festival day. An outside bar serves cask ale, shorts and bottles supplementing the normal pub bar inside and a fish & chip van will be serving food there. It all opens at midday with DJ Higgz providing a soundtrack throughout the event until late except when live acts are on stage – We are Little Rock at 3pm, Andy Gates at 5pm and Cabronitas band at 8pm.
The Dronfield Arms closes their car park off too in order to add extra features to the usual pub bar, terrace and Pizza Pi kiosk. On festival day there is an outside bar, Cow Boys Burgers stall and music stage. Live music kicks off at 1pm with Josh Feely followed by Magenta Apricots at 2pm, Factor 50 at 3pm, Kickback at 4pm and Leo Millobarrow at 5pm. From 6pm until midnight DJ Phill will be providing party tunes outside for their popular One Valley sunset disco surrounded by trees, river, railway bridge and buildings!
Next door the Underdog bar also adds an outside bar round the back with a range of ciders and craft beer plus hot sandwiches whilst across the road the White Swan make use of their patio area. Live entertainment here begins with We Are Little Rock at 1pm then Dan Aspinall on at 4pm and finally Katie Rose. The England match will be on the TV inside the pub at 5pm.
The Beer Stop is just the other side of the railway bridge, this is a small specialist craft beer shop that also has a few taps of craft beer that can be enjoyed on the yard outside. Two street food traders will be popping up for the afternoon serving fried chicken and tacos and an outside bar is also planned.
Finally a short walk from Dronny Bottom (alternatively a ride on bus 15 or 44) is the Pioneer Club. This is a classic social club building with two rooms – lounge (with pool table and TV) and concert room. It also has a huge grass outdoor area, smoking terrace and car park. The Pioneer run a family friendly event for One Valley outside with bouncy castle, goody bags & games for the kids plus a BBQ stall whilst for the adults there will be a reasonably priced bar and a DJ on all day inbetween live acts – Marie Wells and Ken Lambert Drag.
BUSES
15 Dronfield-Chesterfield via Coal Aston, Apperknowle, Marsh Lane, Hundall, Unstone and Whittington Moor. Venues served: Manor House Hotel, Blue Stoops, Victoria, Beer Stop, Pioneer Club and Miners Arms (Hundall).
16 Dronfield-Chesterfield via Dronfield Woodhouse, Holmesfield, Barlow. Venues served: Manor House Hotel, Blue Stoops, Miners Arms (Dronfield Woodhouse).
43 Sheffield-Chesterfield via Heeley, Woodseats, Meadowhead, Dronfield Sainsburys, Dronfield Woodhouse, Gosforth, Dronfield Fire Station, Unstone and Whittington Moor. Venues served: Victoria, Jolly Farmer, White Swan, Drone Valley Brewery.
44 Sheffield-Chesterfield via Heeley, Woodseats, Meadowhead, Batemoor, Coal Aston, Dronfield Station, Unstone and Whittington Moor. Venues served: Pioneer Club, Beer Stop, Dronfield Arms, Underdog, White Swan, Drone Valley Brewery.
All the above bus services are operated by Stagecoach. The maximum single fare is £3 or a “Silver DayRider” ticket is available offering unlimited all day travel on their services in the area – £6.50 adult or £20 for a group of 5 people. You can buy tickets from the bus driver (cash or contactless) or on the Stagecoach app.
Additionally until 5pm the “Travel Derbyshire On Demand” minibus service operates. This is a bus with no fixed route or timetable, simply request a ride at least an hour in advance using their app and a route is created that caters for all the passengers booked that hour. It can be booked for journeys anywhere in North East Derbyshire and Chesterfield, subject to availability.
TRAINS
Dronfield railway station is served mainly by Northern‘s Leeds-Nottingham service, running hourly through the day and with services continuing late into the evening. Journey planning and fares for rail travel is available from nationalrail.co.uk. Venues walkable from the station are Dronfield Pioneer Club, Beer Stop, Dronfield Arms, Underdog, White Swan, Green Dragon, Manor House Hotel, Blue Stoops and Victoria. Buses serving the station are 15 and 44.
The European Beer Consumers Union (EBCU) has recently revealed the results of its European Travel Beer Survey, celebrating the best places to enjoy a quality beer while in transit: Sheffield secured the best rail station title.
Across Europe, Sheffield has the best rail station for beer – thanks to the Sheffield Tap, a beautifully restored Edwardian pub on platform 1B. With both an on-site brewery and an impressive range of both local and international beers (including ten cask beers), it’s a must-visit.
The old First Class Refreshment Room was originally built by the Midland Railway as part of their 1905 station extension and adorned inside with Minton tiled walls and fine ornamented bar- fittings. The rooms were disused in the 1960s and became a waiting room in the 1970s before closure in 1975. The listed interior was left to decay until 2008 when restoration began. The Tap opened in 2009, with the on-site, Tapped Brewery, following in 2013. The pub is of outstanding historic importance, it is rated at Three Stars on CAMRA’s National Inventory of important historic pub interiors.
Honourable ECBU mentions included York for its nearby pubs and beer-friendly atmosphere. Brussels Central and Munich Hauptbahnhof were both praised for their easy access to excellent beer venues just outside the station. The best airport for beer was Copenhagen, with the Mikkeller Bar frequently mentioned. Also praised were Munich Airport, home to Airbräu, Europe’s first airport-based brewery. London Heathrow was also appreciated for its decent pub-style venues.
Respondents also described disappointing experiences like being served warm, bland lager at major transit hubs or finding themselves in terminals with no beer at all.
On a more positive note, the survey also unearthed some hidden gems, including praise for the nearby Stalybridge Buffet Bar and many smaller bars tucked just outside major train stations in multiple cities.
“We launched this survey to shine a light on how beer culture can thrive even in places of transit,” said EBCU chairman André Brunnsberg. “Copenhagen and Sheffield show what’s possible when quality and locality are put first. These aren’t just places to wait for your flight or train: they’re places worth arriving early for.”
The European Beer Consumers Union (EBCU) represents beer drinkers in over a dozen countries, promoting consumer rights, access to quality beer, and the preservation of local beer traditions. They hope these results will inspire more airports and railway stations across Europe to raise the bar for beer drinking travellers.
Heeley City Farm’s festival on 21 June will feature a beer tent.
The Wharncliffe Arms, a Bradfield Brewery pub, reopens on 23 May at 5pm and will have an exclusive nettle ale on the bar.
Festival bar at the Old Nags Head, hosted by Jo Doyle who had personally collected many of the beers!
The Old Nag’s Head in Edale held their inaugural beer festival over the weekend of 25 to 27 April to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Pennine Way being mapped. The festival took place behind the pub next to the beer garden with a real ale & cider bar, BBQ stall and live entertainment featuring. The beer list ran to around 30 ales sourced from breweries along the route of the Pennine Way.
Chicken kebab from the festival BBQ menu at the Nags Headfestival bar at the Old Hall Hotel, Hope
The Easter weekend and May Day bank holiday weekend also saw the return of the regular Hope Valley beer & cider festivals at the Old Hall Hotel in Hope, which take place each bank holiday weekend with a marquee appearing in the car park featuring a festival bar, food stalls, live music and DJs. Most of the beers are sourced locally from around Derbyshire although Fyne Ales of Scotland also made an appearance at the Easter event! Activity in the festival tent generally run from midday to 9pm with the festivities moving into the pub for the late evening as it drops colder outside!
Also at the Old Hall Hotel, landlord Rick Ellison (who runs Atlantik Inns group which also operates a number of other leased Peak District pubs) celebrated 15 years there on 26 April with a live rock covers band performing. Other events at the pub include a quiz night every Tuesday.
The new management (Tom and Claire) at the Anglers Rest in Bamford continue to make small tweaks reflecting experience and customer feedback. The pub is now open midday to 11pm every day except Monday when it is closed (except bank holidays) and a new pub food menu has launched. The tea room is open every day 8am to 4pm serving cooked breakfasts until midday then lunch and light bight options in the afternoon. The beer range at the bar sees up to 6 real ales including 4 local beers – usually from Eyam and Intrepid – along with Theakston Old Peculiar and another well known beer such as Timothy Taylor Landlord. There is now a quiz night every Wednesday at 8:30pm and other events are being planned for over the summer too.
The Old Eyre Arms in Hassop has reopened, now under the ownership of Alistair Myers from the Rafters Restaurant group. As you’d expect they are making an effort with the food, which is traditional British, with Charlie Curran in the kitchen. He has previously been the chef at Peppercorn in Sheffield and the (now closed) Samuel Fox Country Inn at Bradwell. There are three dining areas in the pub and families are welcome. There is also a tap room for drinkers so if you just fancy popping in for a pint of ale and maybe a game of dominoes you are still welcome!
The Ladybower Inn at Yorkshire Bridge, near Bamford, reopened under its current management back in December and seems to be going strong! It is owned by Batemans Brewery of Wainfleet, Lincolnshire.
Fireplace in the front room at the Three Stags Head
Visits to the legendary Three Stags’ Heads at Wardlow Mires, now under the stewardship of Andy & Cath since 2019 – before the passing of long time owners Geoff & Pat – have confirmed all the expected character of the place hasn’t changed! A historical building, open fires, great characters among the regulars, dogs, good ale, banter and a no nonsense attitude all present and correct! The Abbeydale Lurcher which has been a long term fixture on the bar is still available and joined by some local beers from breweries such as Eyam. There have been some subtle changes such as an increased range of spirits and they even do Baby Guinness shots – but still no draught lager (don’t ask, a punch in the gob often offends as pointed out on the sign above the bar!).
Blackboard by the bar at the Three Stags HeadRed Lion, Litton
Another Derbyshire pub in our area that seems to be as good as ever under new management is the Red Lion at Litton. This pub under its previous management won our District Pub of the Year award and featured in the national Good Beer Guide. It is a country cottage style pub with lots of cosy little areas to sit, home cooked food, real ales and friendly service. They also have rooms available upstairs if you want to stay the night! Kristina, Tomas and their staff now run the pub and high standards have been maintained – as well as putting their own stamp on the place which continues to be popular!
The Wisewood Inn, at Wisewood and home of Loxley Brewery, have announced the dates for their 2025 beer festival. This will take place 20 to 22 June featuring beer, cider, food, music and a brewery merchandise stall.
The Coach House Cafe in Hillsborough Park have applied for planning permission to create an outdoor bar in their courtyard with drinks served from a kiosk fashioned from an old shipping container which will be clad with wood to fit in with the surroundings.
Handpumps at the George & Dragon, Holmesfield, featuring Boston beers. Photo: Nick Wheat.
The George & Dragon in Holmesfield, near Dronfield, is under the new management of Boston Brewery (the Derbyshire one, not the more famous American one!) and now operates as one of their taps with a range of their beers available across 6 handpumps and 2 keg taps. A refurbishment is planned with a bar food menu to be introduced.
The Dog & Partridge in Sheffield City Centre hosted “Dog Fest 3” on the Saturday of Mayday bank holiday weekend featuring a programme of live music from 3:30pm onwards. Meanwhile down the road in Dronfield the warm weather saw the Manor House Hotel bar move their Friday DJ night outdoors and the Green Dragon hosted a weekend of DJs and live entertainment.
The Dog & Partridge in Sheffield City Centre won the award for best traditional pub at Exposed Magazine’s annual Sheffield awards ceremony whilst the Old Shoe, also in the City Centre, won best bar. Talking of the Old Shoe they are planning a beer festival for 16 August.
The Saturday of Easter weekend saw a number of venues along Abbeydale Road take part in Abbeydale Live with a busy programme of music to enjoy. This saw a great turn out with bars such as the Two Thirds Beer Co. and the Broadfield very busy!
Tramlines music festival takes place in Hillsborough park over the weekend of 25-27 July and as usual many venues around the City Centre, including some that serve real ale, are taking part in a fringe festival with live music and DJs featuring, mostly with free entry.
The Robin Hood at Millhouses runs a cask club promotion with discount beer prices every Thursday. This pub is part of the Ember Inns chain.
The Mount Pleasant in Norton Lees is organising “MountFest” on Sunday 13th July with live entertainment from midday onwards. Tickets cost £10 for adults with ticket holders able to bring up to two children free of charge.
The new management at the Three Tuns in Sheffield City Centre are introducing a new programme of events at the pub including DJ sessions, supper clubs and a quiz night.
The Mayday bank holiday weekend saw the return of the Snack Shack in the beer garden of the Raven in Walkley. This opens at weekends selling pizzas, burgers and fries.
The George Inn in Tideswell has reopened and is now another Peak District pub operated by Atlantik Inns! It opened just in time for the village’s food festival on 3 May. The new publican here is Sarah.
Real Ale in Woodhouse – The Angel Inn has Marstons Wainwright Gold whilst the Royal Hotel has Adnams Ghost Ship.
Fagan’s on the edge of Sheffield City Centre have modified their opening hours. Monday to Thursday it’s now 4pm to midnight, Friday and Saturday is midday to 2:30am whilst Sunday is midday to midnight. They have two quiz nights a week, on Thursday and Sunday, with live music regularly occurring at the pub on other days.
The British Oak in Mosborough, run by True North brewery, hosted a family fun day on 26 May – but the big one is of course their annual Oakstock festival which takes place on 4 and 5 July with live music, outside bar, food and kids entertainment.
The Punchbowl in Crookes, run by True North Brewery, is currently offering a 10% discount on pints of cask ale for CAMRA members, show your membership card when ordering.
The Castle Inn at Bradway has launched a new food menu and is now opening at 9am to serve breakfast.
The Maynard Hotel in Grindleford is hosting live music in the garden on Sunday afternoons, weather permitting.
The former Royal Standard pub, with (possibly unauthorised) conversion work underway
The former Royal Standard pub in Sheffield City Centre has been converted into a Harlem House fast food diner. As far as we can tell no planning permission has been sought for change of use from a pub, we’ve asked Sheffield City Council to check this.
Bal Fashions bar/venue on Exchange Street in Sheffield City Centre has become Panke Bar, an electronic music venue owned by the same people as Berlin Calling in Crookes. No real ale is available but the keg taps do feature local beers from Abbeydale and Triple Point.
While attending the Bear’s beer and cheese event during Sheffield Beer Week, owner Matt pointed out an overly large pump clip on the wall, saying ‘you know what that means’. I did – but I wasn’t sure how he intended to serve it. The Bear has no cask lines.
Founded in 2021 by Matt Beety, the Bear is a cosy bottle shop at the top of Abbeydale Road, specialising primarily in craft beer. It boasts a wall of fridges and a bar with six keg lines. The Bear holds regular meet the brewer events, and the clip Matt pointed out was for Weekend Project’s appearance in mid-March.
This was the Bear’s first foray into cask (though its sister bar, the Old Shoe, has two lines), and the first issue to overcome was the complete absence of any serving mechanism for cask beer.
Matt brought in local company SR Beer Co to help set up a temporary handpull at the end of the bar, and relied on a bucket and some ice to keep the nine-gallon cask cool.
The event was attended by Will from Weekend Project, along with sausage dog Oliver and seven of their beers – and, of course, about 25 drinkers. First up, and star of the show, was Planet Caravan on the new pump, ably poured by Sooty (with some help from his friend Jonny).
It was an evening full of tales from breweries both foreign and domestic – and quite a lot of beer.
The Bear has a steady stream of meet the brewer events advertised on its social media platforms, which tend to sell out quickly – and perhaps we can hope that future editions might feature some cask offerings too.
Many of you will recall that the Royal closed last year. A planning application has now been lodged with Sheffield City Council to convert the pub into residential accommodation (ref. 25/00501/FUL). We have formally objected: the permanent loss of this culturally significant and historic pub would have a profound and detrimental impact on the local community and beyond.
The Royal Hotel has served as a vital community hub since 1813, providing a space for social interaction, local traditions and live music. Most notably, it is one of the key venues for the Sheffield Christmas Carols – a centuries-old folk tradition that draws visitors from across the country and further afield. Losing the pub would diminish this deeply rooted cultural event, which has been widely recognised as a unique and important part of British heritage.
The Royal attracts visitors not only from Sheffield but from further afield. The area has a growing, affluent customer base who regularly visit the surrounding countryside for recreation. Dungworth is criss-crossed with walking trails and sits on the edge of the Peak District National Park – the pub is a welcome sight for walkers seeking rest and refreshment. Locally, the past two years have seen nearly 20 new houses either built or granted planning permission.
There is strong evidence to suggest that, with the right management, the Royal could thrive. Many similar rural pubs in the Sheffield area are successfully attracting a mix of local patrons and visitors. The Royal’s setting – with its historical significance and sweeping views across the Loxley Valley – offers a clear opportunity for revitalisation.
A key requirement for change-of-use applications involving pubs is a demonstrable effort to market the premises as a going concern. In this case, there is little evidence that the Royal has been properly offered for sale as a functioning pub. In contrast, a local fundraising initiative has already pledged a six-figure sum to support the future of the Royal, and a local brewery has expressed interest in purchasing the pub. Viable options clearly exist to avoid the unnecessary loss of a valued local facility – one that supports community cohesion, social interaction, and the local economy.
Given the strong interest in preserving the Royal, granting permission for its conversion at this stage would be premature. We believe the proposed development is inconsistent with both local and national policies on the conversion of pubs. With overwhelming community support and positive indicators from the Public House Viability Test, we urge the council to reject the application and support efforts to secure the future of the Royal Hotel as a sustainable business and vital community asset.
The Anglers Rest has been community-owned since 2013, but this year has seen a change in approach, with the decision to lease the pub to a local business rather than continue running it in-house. The new operator is Peak Hospitality, headed by Rick Ellison, whose Atlantik Inns business runs the Old Hall Hotel in Hope, the Peak Hotel in Castleton, and the Anchor in Tideswell, among others. The Anglers is now managed by Claire and Tom.
The pub has recently undergone a refurbishment, including a revamped bar area, a couple of cosy drinkers’ spaces, the addition of a pool table, and a separate rustic dining room. The building also continues to house a post office, shop, and café – the latter soon to be transformed into the Tricky Trout Tea Room.
The bar features six handpumps, offering cask beers from Theakston, Eyam and Intrepid, alongside a rotating local guest. It’s open from midday every day except Monday, closing at 10pm on Sundays and 11pm the rest of the week. Tom, an experienced chef with a strong reputation, runs the kitchen, serving meals in the pub’s restaurant at lunchtimes and in the evenings Monday to Saturday, as well as Sunday afternoons.
The tea room is open daily from 8am to 4pm, serving breakfasts in the morning and a menu of sandwiches, soup and other light bites, with more substantial options available from lunchtime onwards.
The pub has its own car park, with the 257 bus passing the front door. Bamford railway station – served by the 272 bus – is about a 15-minute walk away.
Things are still being tweaked as the new team beds in – check their Facebook page for the latest updates.
Sheffield Beer Week saw the wooden pin make another appearance at Hop Hideout in Leah’s Yard, Sheffield City Centre, providing a cask ale option. This time the beer from the wood was Abbeydale Moonshine.
By the time this issue of Beer Matters hits the street, the Mount Pleasant in Norton Lees should have reopened under new management.
The Clubhouse on London Road has announced they aren’t renewing the lease and it is likely to be closing in March. In an announcement they stated it was a heartbreaking decision but times are tough and all the bills are getting extortionate and they simply can’t do it anymore. The Steel City derby match unusually wasn’t screened there as the direct debit to Sky Sports had already been cancelled ahead of them closing – it was costing them £3,000 a month!
Two of the Dronfield town centre pubs taking part in the One Valley Festival on 7 June have announced their plans. The Manor House Hotel are doing pretty much the same as last year with the car park closed off and filled with two outside bars – one of which will feature cask ale from Abbeydale Brewery along with Pellizco’s mexican food trailer. Live music will be provided by The Britpop Rockers at 4pm and 6pm then DJ Brad Gee will keep the party going from 7:30pm until late. Meanwhile down the road at the Green Dragon are also keeping a similarly tried and tested formula with the car park closed off and live music on the back of a wagon, DJ Higz playing the tunes between and after the bands and a fish & trip trailer to keep everyone fed. There will also be two outside bars supplementing the normal pub bar with real ales, shots and bottles available outside.
The Cross Scythes in Totley has now reopened under its new management following refurbishment and is offering “elevated pub dining”.
The Chapeltown Tap is hosting a Triple Point Brewing tap takeover and meet the brewer event on 30 April. Tickets (£15) need to be booked in advance and include a third pint taster of 6 different beers and nibbles from a ploughmans food tray.
Pub blogger “Micropub Adventures” has launched a promotion for visiting beer venues between Sheffield and Retford by train. In Retford this includes the Idle Valley Tap, Brew Shed and Beer Under the Clock then of course on Worksop station is the Mallard, which hosts regular beer festivals. A short walk from Shireoaks railway station is the Ticking Clock Brewery’s tap room which opens at weekends then close to Kiveton Bridge station is the Kiveton Tap. The next offering towards Sheffield is the Oxbow at Woodhouse Mill before finishing at the Sheffield Tap. For the leg between Kiveton and Sheffield the X5 bus offers a more convenient alternative to the train, stopping close to the Oxbow!
Thanks to John Clarke of Stockport CAMRA (editor of Opening Times magazine), who posted some scans of an old real ale booklet from 1975 on X, we can look back at pubs serving real ale in Sheffield City Centre that year. There were 11 pubs listed and of those 6 still survive – Dog & Partridge, Globe, Grapes, Norfolk Arms, Red Deer and Washington. Back then all those pubs could be split into two camps – those serving Tetleys Bitter and those serving Stones. Two of the pubs are now part of Stonegate’s “Craft Union” chain with no cask ale but the rest still serve the real deal! The lost pubs are Peacock Inn (Fitzwillam Street), Old Red Lion (Holly Street), Red House (Solly Street), Royal Oak (Hollis Croft) and Sportsman Inn (Cambridge Street). Of course whilst we have lost those 5 pubs over the years, we certainly now have a much bigger choice of real ale and craft beer venues around the City Centre than we did then!
Live music venue, real ale bar, canal side drinking spot, home of the Pax Cat and unique Sheffield institution are all things the Dorothy Pax was, however it has closed down. The following shock announcement at the beginning of March had been preceded by a number of gigs being cancelled due to poor ticket sales.
“We are heartbroken to announce that The Dorothy Pax is now closed with immediate effect.
It’s not been an easy decision to make as this affects not only ourselves but the bar staff, the engineers, the artists, our local boating community, our wider Sheffield community and our suppliers.
We’ve had some amazing parties, produced several festivals, hosted countless world-class talent on our stage, laughed, cried, shared incredible evenings, made lifelong friends and boogied the night away.
However, we cannot continue to do so. I don’t want to point fingers, but we’ve had our fair share of battles, and we’ve always come out the other side, but we’ve got too many wounds to lick now to continue.
It’s not very pleasant to be a statistic at any time, and we’re certainly upset about being added to the number of grassroots music venues that have closed down over the last few years through difficulties thrown at the industry including Covid-19, rising bills and our customers facing a cost-of-living crisis.
The grassroots music industry is facing an uphill battle, as a whole we’re all trying to make this work on a profit margin of 0.48%, whilst those at the top are reporting billions in profits. If £1 per ticket at stadium shows, arena gigs and large festivals went back to us collectively, we wouldn’t have to subsidise ourselves hugely to carry on doing the work we do.
But we have. We’ve footed that bill internally, mainly because we love it, understand its importance to our wellbeing, community and cultural output. We know we do good work. Nothing is quite like the high you get when you see a full room of people dancing, enjoying each others company, whilst the musicians on stage are performing their hearts out with smiles across their faces. Nothing will ever come close to that feeling.
If it wasn’t for the support of the Music Venue Trust, this announcement would have come 5 years ago. They’ve not only had our side but they’ve tirelessly worked so hard in supporting 900+ of our colleagues within the grassroots music industry.
Please believe us that we have exhausted every possible avenue over the last year or so to keep on going but the time has come.
Continue to support your grassroots music venues, your local pub and independent businesses because now is the time that they need you the most. Use them, or lose them.
The Wetherspoon chain are hosting their Spring real ale festival from 5 to 16 March, featuring a range of 30 beers which include some special one off beers that are a collaboration with 5 different international breweries.
As International Women’s Day falls during the real ale festival, all 5 collaborations are with female brewers (or brewsters to use the correct term!).
The international beers are Wallaby (Penny Red, Australia), Estuary Session Ale (Land & Sea, Canada), Chocolate Porter (Birra Perugia, Italy), Antipodean (Brew Moon, New Zealand) and Hey Pal (Terrapin, USA).
Among others, the festival line-up also includes Boudicca (Brains), Persephone (Brewster’s), Vienna (Harviestoun), Beerhart (Mad Squirrel), Gulpa (Redemption) and Alpha Female (Rooster’s).
Marketing manager Jen Swindells said: “The festival is a great celebration of real ale.
“It will allow us, over a 12-day period, to showcase a selection of superb value-for-money beers, including those from brewers as far afield as Canada and New Zealand, as well as those closer to home.
As none of the pubs have as many as 30 guest ale pumps you won’t find all the festival beers on the bar at the same time, they will be offered on rotation, however the 10 branches across Sheffield will be co-ordinating their festival launch so all 30 will be on somewhere in Sheffield on day one – see the table below for their intentions!
