The Adelphi Hotel

[Sheffield History]

THE ADELPHI HOTEL


"SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY CRICKET CLUB AND FOOTBALL CLUB. - At a general meeting held on Wednesday last, at the Adelphi Hotel, it was decided to form a football club in connection with the above influential cricket club, with the object of keeping together during the winter season the members of this cricket club. From the great unanimity which prevailed as to the desirability of forming the club, there is every reason to expect that it will take first rank. The office bearers were elected as follows: - President, Mr. B. Chatterton; vice-president and treasurer, Mr. F. S. Chambers; hon. Secretary, Mr. Jno. Marsh; assistant, Mr. Castleton. Committee: Messrs Jno. Rodgers, Jno. White, C. Stokes, and H. Bocking. About sixty were enrolled without any canvas, some of them being the best players of the town."

Sheffield Independent, Friday 6 September, 1867

That modest announcement in a local newspaper began the story of one of the most respected and cherished football clubs in England, springing from the very home of football itself. Even before the foundation of the Football Association in 1863, Sheffield had been at the forefront of what is now regarded as our national game - with the world's two oldest football clubs, Sheffield FC (formed 1857) and Hallam FC (formed 1860) leading a rising tide of interest in Association Football, or soccer as it was commonly called.




Sheffield Wednesday Football Club was 'born' on the evening of Wednesday 4 September 1867, at a meeting of the members of The Wednesday Cricket Club - named after the day that the players, primarily local craftsmen, took a half-day off work to participate. The meeting took place at The Adelphi public house on the corner of Arundel Street and Sycamore Street (now the site of The Crucible Theatre, made famous as the venue for the World Snooker Championships) in the city centre, where a Mr. John Pashley formally proposed the extension of the Club to include football.



Initially, Pashley's proposal was intended to solve the problem of keeping the cricket club's players together and in decent physical condition over the winter months - yet even at this embryonic stage it was clear that the football branch of the club would hold enough interest to exist independently and even begin to eclipse the cricketing side one day. At the inaugural meeting, Sheffield financial agent Ben Chatterton was elected as Club President with John Marsh confirmed as Club Secretary and team captain, whilst the playing colours of blue and white were selected - a colour scheme which has remained inextricably linked with the Club to this day.



Following a hastily-arranged practice match at their Highfield base the following month, The Wednesday Football Club then completed their first ever game, triumphing over the Mechanics Club at Norfolk Park by three goals and four rouges to nil

[Sheffield History]

Sheffield United's Birth

In the early 1850's, cricket, which had evolved as a suitable pastime during the summer evenings, was the sport that Sheffielders played, but the rapid expansion of the town brought a threat to the cricket fields, and suitable areas for new grounds were difficult to find.

The Duke of Norfolk, owned a considerable area of land in Sheffield and a Michael Ellison, a member of the Sheffield Cricket Club, proposed, in 1854, an agreement with the Duke, to lease eight and a half acres of land, on the southern edge of the town, "with the advantage of being free from smoke." Ellison's aim was for a permanent cricket ground in Sheffield which could be used by a number cricket clubs, and he announced his plan at a public meeting at the Adelphi Hotel, on Monday, January 30th, 1854.

The land chosen, was situated on Bramall Lane, which had taken its name from the File manufacturing Bramhall family. It was available for an annual rent of stlg 70 with a ninety nine year lease, with the stipulation that the cricket matches be conducted in a respectable manner.

[Sheffield History]

And bizarrely enough - Yorkshire County Cricket Club was also founded in 1863 at the Adelphi Hotel in Sheffield !

[RichardB]

A one-time favourite meeting place and birthplace of Yorkshire Cricket Club. From Pubs and People around Sheffield - Roy Davey

Update from Hilldweller 16th Jan 2014 :

Roy Davey was usually quite accurate in his Sheffield history, but in this case he used a photo of the wrong pub.

This pub is the Adelphi which used to stand on Martin Street / Adelphi Street, Upperthorpe.

You can even see the Martin Street street sign on the pub.

[RichardB]

Adelphi Hotel, 13 Arundel Street/Sycamore Street 1849-1969 when it was demolished

1849-1856 (at leasr) Henry Sampson

1893 George Peters

1911 William Banning

1919 Leonard Tootell

1925 Alick C Seals

1951 Lewis Arthur Clarke

looking for the Keeper in 1969 ...

[Guest tsavo]

Following a hastily-arranged practice match at their Highfield base the following month, The Wednesday Football Club then completed their first ever game, triumphing over the Mechanics Club at Norfolk Park by three goals and four rouges to nil

Must have missed something here, but what were rogues in football?

[RichardB]

Following a hastily-arranged practice match at their Highfield base the following month, The Wednesday Football Club then completed their first ever game, triumphing over the Mechanics Club at Norfolk Park by three goals and four rouges to nil

Must have missed something here, but what were rogues in football?

Between the posts = a goal (no crossbar)

Between the smaller posts set further apart = rogue

Hence result Wednesday 3 - Mechanics 3 (in modern day terms), but Wednesday won on "near misses" or rouges.

That Newcastle player currently in Jail, he's a rogue also !!!

[Guest Julia Ford]

Hi Richard

On one of your posts regarding the Adelphi Hotel on Tudor Way, you were looking for the licensee for the period up to 1969 when it was demolished to build the crucible. The licensee was in fact my grandfather, Mr John Costello, right up until it was demolished, I do not know what year he took over the pub but he was the licensee when my parents married in February 1960, and this is where my father had met my mother so assume the tenancy began pre 1960. I remember the place quite well I was seven or eight when it was demolished and my parents spent a lot of time there, I used to wake up when the music stopped at closing time and remember playing on an old white upright piano in the concert room.

[Guest Julia Ford]

Re Adelphi Keeper, Circa 1959 to 1969 John Costello.

[Stentor]

My wife and me were married in August 1957 and we had our wedding "do" there in the evening.

I used to work "Backstage" at the Lyceum in those days and me and the other stage hands used to go in there for " refreshments" during breaks.

This would be from about 1956 onwards and as far as I can remember John Costello and his wife, "Anita"? were there then.

Ahh! Happy Days

[hilldweller]

A one-time favourite meeting place and birthplace of Yorkshire Cricket Club. From Pubs and People around Sheffield - Roy Davey

Roy Davey was usually quite accurate in his Sheffield history, but in this case he used a photo of the wrong pub.

This pub is the Adelphi which used to stand on Martin Street / Adelphi Street, Upperthorpe.

You can even see the Martin Street street sign on the pub.

Does anyone else remember the city centre pub's special juke box with a screen mounted on top which showed tame strip-tease films.

HD

[Guest Julia Ford]

John's wife, my grandmother, was called Anne. She had two daughters, Margaret and Enid.

[boginspro]

Hi Richard

On one of your posts regarding the Adelphi Hotel on Tudor Way, you were looking for the licensee for the period up to 1969 when it was demolished to build the crucible. The licensee was in fact my grandfather, Mr John Costello, right up until it was demolished, I do not know what year he took over the pub but he was the licensee when my parents married in February 1960, and this is where my father had met my mother so assume the tenancy began pre 1960. I remember the place quite well I was seven or eight when it was demolished and my parents spent a lot of time there, I used to wake up when the music stopped at closing time and remember playing on an old white upright piano in the concert room.

This was my favourite pub of all time, I remember your grandfather, he kept a great pint and I was very sad when it closed. The last time I returned to Sheffield I found that most of my favourite pubs were closed or had been ruined by alterations.

[nevthelodgemoorowl]

I wonder how many readers on here remember. The Adelphi picture with the crane in the background, to the for is one of the old style gas lamps with the cross bar.

Yes the cross bar allowed the maintenance man to prop his ladder up. We kids however would search out a length of bull rope and swing happily for a large part of the day.