“Dus` Tha` Fancy A Pint Lad”

[tozzin]

“Dus` Tha` Fancy A Pint Lad”

 

Welcome back to our on-going roam around Sheffield’s old pubs, most have gone but some are hanging on to life. Our area today is what is or was affection ally known as Little Sheffield, I know Mr D & Mr S are scratching their heads and saying “Where’s That Then?”  Little Sheffield, a village and close to the main town of Sheffield was redeveloped to cope with the rapidly increasing growth in population. Separated from Sheffield town by the uninhabited, barren, gorse-covered, Sheffield Moor, Industry here was based on water-power provided by Porter Brook with water-wheels at Sharrow Mill (Sharrow Vale Road), Sharrow Forge (Napier Street), and Bennett’s’ Wheel (Vulcan Works). The latter two mill-dams and Broomhall Corn-mill dam off Ecclesall Road were drained and filled-in around 1870 providing land for houses, schools, and new industries. I believe that Little Sheffield ran from around Pomona Street just off Ecclesall Road, over to Cemetery Road up to Sharrow Lane, back to St Mary’s Church on Bramall Lane, then up to Abbeydale Road to near Sharrow Lane again and strangely enough the area below Havelock Square and as far as Eyre Street were also counted as Little Sheffield, it’s the small area within these parameters that our pub tour lies. I must mention that within a very small area there were four breweries, Wards had the Sheaf Brewery on Ecclesall Road, which stood where the Wetherspoons Granary pub now stands, (why that name?) now stands, just a few hundred yards away roughly where Waitrose now stands, here stood the Old Albion Brewery, just behind the Old Albion on Napier Street stood the Dantzig Brewery, just on the corner of Bramall Lane and John Street, where the new Spar shop now stands, here stood the Britannia Brewery and finally just on Cherry Street stood the Hope & Anchor Brewery, in its place stands anchor Point, at the gates was the Hope & Anchor Logo sadly it was removed but they did retain the old colour of the boundary wall of the brewery, to say that the demon drink was made here, its name is misleading as it has religious meaning, it came  from the Letter to the Hebrews (6:19): "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope."
Our year is 1893 but some of the pubs we set foot in were open long before then, we start off by strapping on our electric time trousers and head for  the Norfolk Hotel at  No1 St Mary’s Road, which stood just on the corner with Bramall Lane, this was a Gilmour’s house and it was open in 1881 and its first licencee was Joseph Chappellow but at the time of our visit in 1893, his widow, Mary now holds the licence, this corner pub stood just past St Mary’s church, more or less opposite where Hermitage Street met the Lane and it was just a Beer house then seems the name came later its hard to pinpoint exactly where it stood because of MASSIVE road changes and demolition of our old buildings, we leave the Norfolk cross over Bramall Lane to the Queen Adelaide at 32 Bramall Lane even though it stood on the corner with Hermitage Street, this brilliant pub was up and selling beer in 1825, George Beavis was the first landlord, it sold Bentleys Beer, this Brewery was at 29 Castle Folds but was taken over by Stones later, on our visit John Willey Dungworth was the landlord, this pub had a reputation for the entertainment it provided by its customers for the customers, a truly well missed pub, we leave this friendly pub with the sound of After The Ball Is Over ringing in our ears, perfect., Mr D & Mr S really love dancing in the street, tip-toeing through the Horse Apples. We head up Hermitage Street to the Star of Lemont at No 29, this strangely named pub was open in 1825 and its landlord was Isaac Briggs, another Gilmour house, it was classed as a beer house on 1893 and it seems Isaac was still at the helm, there’s not much information about this pub, the meaning of its name still alludes me, the only Lemont I can find is in Illinois in the U.S.A., was the Star an actress, singer, sportsman ? I just don’t know.
Leaving the Star our next pub is the Greyhound Tavern at 38 Hermitage Street just opposite Arley Street, this is where the China Town project is now in the course of being constructed, I wonder if Beijing will have a Highfields area, I don’t think so, the Greyhound was serving beer in 1871 by Mr Charles Wright it closed on the 4th April 1913, at the time of our visit Mrs Hannah White holds the licence, it’s a small pub but its cosy and its beer is first class what more do we need, an old lady in the corner called Blackstock Lynn starts to sing The Volunteer Organist, “The elder in his pulpit high, said, as he slowly riz: "Our organist is kep to hum, laid up with roomatiz, An' as we have no substitoot, as brother Moore ain't here. Will some 'un in the congregation be so kind's to volunteer?" every body in the small snug stops talking and listens, it brings tears to the eyes. Pretending to be touched by the song with a moral, we make our way out and head for the Rising Sun at 67 Hermitage Street, this pub looks more like a small factory than a pub but as long as it sells beer it doesn’t really matter, Thomas Jowitt was the first to hold the licence and at the time of our call William Humberstone was running things, you must remember that I like many others look back on our lost pubs with rose tinted glasses, as the outsides were covered in soot and grime just like the houses of the people who lived in this particular small area of Little Sheffield, but that’s how it was, after a swift half we leave Hermitage Street, this once heavily populated street is now just a remnant of what is was, around 75 yards of it can be found at the back of Lidl on St Mary’s Road.
We walk to the corner of Hermitage Street with London Road and go into the Hermitage Inn at 11 London Road this old pub was selling beer in 1822, by 1825 it was the Old hermitage, but it was renamed to the Hermitage Inn by 1893, the first licence was William Palmer, in 1893 Edwin Ellin held the licence, it was hit by bombs in 1940 which put paid to its service to its customers, a new pub was eventually built and its still open. We now skip and dance between the Trams and Horse traffic on London Road to make our way to the Royal Oak at 17 Cemetery Road, opened in1863 its first man in charge was James Rudd but our landlord today is Mark Chambers, this is a great little pub but eventually some irk decided to call it the Beer Engine, and tried to attract the beautiful people, well my two mates and I were never attracted! Its still open. Leaving the Oak we turn to our left and walk the few yards to the Lansdowne at 2 Lansdowne Road, this was opened in 1854 by landlord William Walker, at our visit it was William John Allen who had his name above the door, this pub was a very big place on three floors and its built to take in visitors for the night or for weekly boarders, its design is straight out of the late18th century, sadly that didn’t save it, it was demolished in 1988 and what for? the Waitrose car park and garage. Leaving the Lansdowne we just cross directly across the road to 10 Lansdowne Road to the Boston also know as the Derby, its been selling beer from 1855 under its name the Boston by 1893 Michael Elsden is the landlord sadly it was cleared for new housing projects.
Dodging the traffic once more we cross London Road again and head for the at 74 New George Street now known as Boston Street,  to the Spring Tavern, this pub is virtually brand new as it was opened just two years before our visit Ben Cauldwell hold the licence and he’s described as a beer retailer as most of our landlords are, this pub seems to have suffered in the war as I cant find any closing year for it.. Having sampled its liquid delights we decide to visit the Talbot at 57/59 New George Street/ Boston Street, this is also a new pub opened in 1891 probably in competition with the Spring Tavern, its landlord was William Dickens, the Talbot seems to have survived into the fifties, cant say for sure but someone will know for sure. Just on the opposite side of New George Street is the George Hotel, this was a Tenants house and was opened in 1833 by its landlord William Johnson, Alfred Norton is our landlord toady, the pub closed around the 1930s but a sad event did occur to some of clientele of this pub on the 25th August 1907, a Char A Banc trip was organised  for a day out in Derbyshire, after a great day out they headed back into town, the driver overtook a Pony and Trap but he went to wide and one of his wheels caught a telegraph pole which swung the bus round into a stone wall, two men and a boy were badly injured, they were taken to the Hospital but they died just a few minutes after their arrival there, many of the other passengers suffered broken arms and legs, a great day turned into a horrible day out.
Leaving the George we turn left and further down Boston Street and go in the Anglers Rest at No 50, this large pub was opened in 1841 and closed in 1948, John Rogers was the first Mine Host but at our particular year John Wortley had taken the reins at the time it closed it was a Wards house. Just a few steps down from the Anglers stood the George Street Tavern at 23 Arley Street, I cant find much info on this  pub but when we visit Henry Brownhill is the landlord, no year of opening or closing, on leaving the George Street Tavern keeping on the right we find the Umpire just a few more yards down at No 180 Boston Street, it was No 9 New George Street before the street name change, it was selling beer in 1856, John Cottom held the licence on our visit, seems it was a very popular pub, large too, it let rooms out to salesmen and boarders while it was a beer house and even after it ceased selling beer it still let rooms off. We bid good afternoon to the crowd inside and head for the Old Mill Tavern just on the other side of Boston Street, opened in 1833 and it closed gave up its licence on the 3rd of January 1925, there’s not much info on who held the licence but  in 1871 Charles Deakin held it . We now make our way to the Cricketers Inn at 37 Sheldon Street just up from Arley Street, it was opened in 1839 and in 1893 James Binns was the landlord, I’m afraid I don’t know just when it closed, it was still open in 1939 so it could be another victim of the Blitz. After a good drink today we visit our last pub, the Sportsman Inn, its on the top of Sheldon Street on the right at 84, it was selling beer in 1871 and the first licencee was William Furness, now this is where things get a mite puzzling, in the Whites directory of 1893 at 84 Sheldon Street a certain George Rhodes is listed as a Tripe Dresser and Bone Handle Cutter, he’s also a beer retailer same address as the Sportsman Inn, he was at this address in 1879 listed as George Rhodes & Son, by 1905 William Rhodes was the beer retailer, same address, by 1911 Laurence Hartley is installed at the beer house, could it be the making cutlery scales was a more profitable business? could be. So here ends our sojourn into the rich past of Sheffield’s lost pubs, this small area which we’ve trod toady is now bereft of the real people that gave life to the area, its been cleansed of real Sheffielder`s and the buildings have been replaced by `orrible accommodation for students and other classes, only nearby John Street retains some of the buildings that were there during 1893. If anyone wants to learn more on the George Hotel tragedy, I urge them to visit Chris Hobbs website it’s a full of stories about Sheffield.
I hope you’ve learned something new about Little Sheffield and its people and its pubs. but the regular members know all about this area and its pubs.

[Ponytail]

Appalling Crash at Moscar, Sheffield Daily Independent 26th August 1907.

Char-a-banc outing arranged from the George Hotel, passing a carriage and pair hit a telegraph pole and crashed into a stone wall, killing three many others injured. 

https://www.chrishobbs.com/moscarcrash1907.htm

 

[Ponytail]

Junction of St. Mary's Road at junction with Bramall Lane, No 1, St. Mary's Road, Norfolk Hotel. April 1956. s19192

Star of Lemont PH, 27 - 29 Hermitage Street. 30th April 1956.s21600

Nos 26-40, Hermitage Street. From left, No 40, St. Mary's School, Caretakers house, No 38, former Greyhound Tavern (with arch leading to Court 😎 and back to back houses (Court 6 at rear) September 1938.u02450

Rising Sun Public House, No. 67 Hermitage Street. September 1939s17133

Royal Oak, Cemetery Road. 

https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;t09520&pos=16&action=zoom&id=89656

London Road (junction with Boston Street) showing the Lansdowne Hotel (Nos 2 and 4 Lansdowne Road) t06108