Its unbelieveable the amount of old established Sheffield pubs being boarded up and closed down. 30 years ago this would have been unthinkable unless the the site was needed for major improvements and compulsory purchased. Which one will be next I wonder?

Unfortunately this isn't just a local problem. 26 Pubs close every month in the UK and there is very little that can be done. One of the main factors which has cased this problem to arise was the shift away from brewery owned pubs brought about by the beer orders act. This meant pubs were bought up by Pub Companies who charge stupidly high rents, force tenants to buy beer at highly inflated prices when they have bought it from a supplier from whom they demand massive discounts and when a pub does close they think nothing of boarding it up and leaving it to be knocked down.

SJQ.

Both our pubs in Bamford are victims of the above. We get a new landlord every 6 months - if they start to do well, the brewery price them out by doubling the rent.

The breweries obviously dont care, as they are happy sitting on £1m worth of building - prime for yet more trendy apartments.

Don't get me started on this! The Classic Rock Bar.....demolished....nothing built on the land.....it could still have been rocking til this day :(

It is VERY sad all the old pubs are going.......and yes its all the fault of the Beer orders and the old Breweries forming all these pub companies and getting rather greedy and once again trying to control the industry but with more militant and commercial power than they ever had before....

Its an uphill struggle for many these days..........the golden age of pubs is but a distant memory, but....there is still plenty of room and opportunity for pubs to be successful, but not in the way that they used to be...it is now important to be many different things to many different people, and capitalize on the uniqueness of the 'offer' in relation to your immediate environment...not easy, but it can be done....

..........

Just in my part of south sheffield we have the Albion, the Tramway and the (Massive) Red Lion at Heeley all closed that I know about. All these pubs were open for business 6 months ago. And pure greed and bad government will probably result in less pubs still in years to come.

I used to love it in The Classic Rock Bar. Sat, Sun, Mon nights in there with great live entertainment and a bottle of Newcy Brown, it was great!
I knew it had closed down sometime last year but wasn't aware it had been demolished. Crying shame that is!
Indeed, It upsets me greatly everytime I see the empty space. What annoys me even more is opposite in the new apartment complex in the former wards brewery is a huge groundfloor unit, intended for a bar or restraunt outlet, unopened and unused, since before the classic rock bar was closed.
It annoys me that these planners knock down perfectly good pubs and the only provision for new drinking establishments are faceless barns which could never be used for the rich entertainment their predecessors were so adaptable for and capable of. :rant:

Just in my part of south sheffield we have the Albion, the Tramway and the (Massive) Red Lion at Heeley all closed that I know about. All these pubs were open for business 6 months ago. And pure greed and bad government will probably result in less pubs still in years to come.


Intrestingly I remember the Red Lion just after they made it a Q pub must have spent a fortune on it and it was packed at the weekends and busy on many weeknights too cracking pub well run clean and with plenty of entertainment not everyones cup of tea I will grant you bit we liked it was always lively.

Went in a few months ago and i dont reckon they have spent a penny on it since the original re fit which was a fair few years ago and really had gone down hill infact was a sad imitation of the place it used to be dark and depressing.

Have some many good memories of that place particularly after consuming an excellent Indian at the new india garden next door

Not been in there for a fair few years...is it up to let or closed for good now?

Not been in there for a fair few years...is it up to let or closed for good now?
Well I regularly look and I haven't seen a notice board on it. All the internal blinds are down and the place is in darkness. As far as I can remember it has been closed since the summer, maybe 3 months.

Went in a few months ago and i dont reckon they have spent a penny on it since the original re fit which was a fair few years ago and really had gone down hill infact was a sad imitation of the place it used to be dark and depressing.

Have some many good memories of that place particularly after consuming an excellent Indian at the new india garden next door
Actually the original refit was done in summer 2000 and it cost £400,000.

The new india garden has gone down hill too.

No sign on the Red Lion yet, but something will be happening with it if theres no for sale/let sign.

The new india garden is still a very good curry house. Granted its not as good as it used to be say 5 years ago when it was a well kept secret but beats the pants of anything else in the local area (especially curry tonight had way too many bad experiences). I use new india gardens regulary but for a special treat go to Ayishas (ecky road). Havent been to the door junction for a while is that still highly rated?

P.S Sorry went off topic.

The new india garden is still a very good curry house. Granted its not as good as it used to be say 5 years ago when it was a well kept secret but beats the pants of anything else in the local area

Well since Dil Shad opened just up the road at woodseats, nowhere else has got a look in. Simply one of the finest curry places there is. And with the classic,

Ah, you're english?
That's pint o'lagers then ? :thumbsup:

Quality..

You've also got to bear in mind just how cheap it is to drink at home and that's down to the power of the supermarket.

Even my local Thresher is selling two cases of Carlsberg at £16 (I think for something like 36 cans). Only last night I bought 15 bottles of Budweiser for less than a tenner.

Granted, stopping in isn't 'going out' (if you forgive the statement) and I enjoy both but certainly look forward to a good night out and blowing silly money.

I lament the loss of many a Sheffield pub and the way the trade is being operated. However, it's not all bad news as the likes of Kelham Island and Fagan's on Broad Lane will testify. But just how long the likes of Fagan's remains as it is, a true, little gem of a pub selling quality ales and where you can actually talk and be heard (no mechanical noise in the foreground) is another matter.

I still miss the King's Head in Crosspool. I didn't go in too often, but it was preferable to the Tavern and the Sportsman.

PS: The John Bull on Layerthorpe in York was also an absolute diamond of a real-ale establishment. It even sold Ward's and was also a beautiful building. I thought I'd found heaven on earth when I first went there (MCMLXXXVIII).

It is now a car showroom.

I blame company's like Weatherspoons, buying beer near the sell buy date, undercutting prices by sometimes 50%. Its precisely what the supermarkets have done to the corner shop!

I blame company's like Weatherspoons, buying beer near the sell buy date, undercutting prices by sometimes 50%. Its precisely what the supermarkets have done to the corner shop!

But have you ever enjoyed being in a Wetherspoon establishment? I certainly haven't.

The beer is usually poor, the food is seriously poor, the pub themselves are fairly bland and the clientele are, as one might expect, people who are happy with a pint of anything as long as it's cheap.

I don't want to sound a snob, but a night in a Wetherspoon's pub is not my idea of a night out.

But have you ever enjoyed being in a Wetherspoon establishment? I certainly haven't.

The beer is usually poor, the food is seriously poor, the pub themselves are fairly bland and the clientele are, as one might expect, people who are happy with a pint of anything as long as it's cheap.

I don't want to sound a snob, but a night in a Wetherspoon's pub is not my idea of a night out.
I agree with you 100% Ousetunes! The pubs are the same all over the country. I work in London and there is one opposite our company in Victoria. Even there the Weatherspoons Willow Walk is full of pensioners drinking Magners at 10am!! Not my sort of place either!!

Use it or lose it, basically.
It's amazing the number of people who moan about their local pubs closing down, but when you ask them when they last drank there, they can't remember.

I think the growth of real ale in a bottle is a major factor particularly with old-fashioned character-style pubs.
Where I live I can either go to my off-licence and get 3 bottles of Wentworth WPA for £4, or go to the pub down the road and pay £2.20 for a pint of the same. It's a no-brainer really, isn;t it?

Decent "real ale" pubs, in fact they dont have to be decent pubs just decent beer, will always be around.

Fagans is a fantastic place but I usually go to the local which lucky for me is the sheaf view.

Not only do you get good beer but the atmosphere (I always think of russ abbott (SP)) and the people you drink with, quite lierally when its busy, are a million miles away from the chain pubs. Horses for courses.

Use it or lose it, basically.
It's amazing the number of people who moan about their local pubs closing down, but when you ask them when they last drank there, they can't remember.

I think the growth of real ale in a bottle is a major factor particularly with old-fashioned character-style pubs.
Where I live I can either go to my off-licence and get 3 bottles of Wentworth WPA for £4, or go to the pub down the road and pay £2.20 for a pint of the same. It's a no-brainer really, isn;t it?
I personally go into my local pub for the ambience, I'm not bothered about paying £2.20 a pint as I only have a couple anyway. Drinking is only part of the night out for me. I drink at home sometimes, but would rather venture out for a 'night out'

But have you ever enjoyed being in a Wetherspoon establishment? I certainly haven't.

Well that does make you sound like a snob.

I go in my local Wetherspoons every week. The place is so big there is always somewhere to sit, the air isn't smoky because the cieling is high, and you can have a conversation because there isn't overloud music.

The beer is cheap, and while you might complain about the quality of some of it, you would be mistaken if you were to claim that it was all poor. The selection on draught is usually good, they sell excellent bottled beers from around the world, and there is always Newky Brown. Get a grip Man!

There are some terrible pubs about. The only surprise is they've stayed open as long as they have as they were built to serve communities and tastes that don't exist any more. Those along Langsett Rd for example. It's always sad when they go though - even the rubbish ones - as the chance to improve has gone forever.

There are some good Wetherspoons pubs and some bad ones. The Benjamin Huntsman is quite different to the Bankers Draft for example. At least you know they are guaranteed to sell cask ale - they could easily do what they do and just sell keg stuff. The sell-by date thing is a bit of a red herring, it's either off or it isn't. At least they usually have some sort of training about handling the stuff, many places selling cask ale don't have a clue. Wetherspoons have also found uses for much-loved old buildings that would otherwise be stood empty - the Deep End to be added to that list in the new year hopefully.

Use it or lose it, basically.
It's amazing the number of people who moan about their local pubs closing down, but when you ask them when they last drank there, they can't remember.

I think the growth of real ale in a bottle is a major factor particularly with old-fashioned character-style pubs.
Where I live I can either go to my off-licence and get 3 bottles of Wentworth WPA for £4, or go to the pub down the road and pay £2.20 for a pint of the same. It's a no-brainer really, isn;t it?

I partly agree the price of supermarket beer is unblievabley cheap these days.

However I still dont think drinking at home is anything like as enjoyable as a night out in the pub with some good friends.

Actually the original refit was done in summer 2000 and it cost £400,000.

The new india garden has gone down hill too.

omg was it really that long ago I really feeling old now.

Don't get me started on this! The Classic Rock Bar.....demolished....nothing built on the land.....it could still have been rocking til this day :(

Yes I was only commenting on this when I went past the other day. Couldnt we put a marquee up on the site! The old sign is still standing very strange to see. It is very sadly missed especially on New Years Eve it was always a brilliant night out.

If I win the lottery I will buy the land and rebuild it brick by brick! That would **** the snobs off across the road!:hihi:

Its late, and I havent read the thread-posts, but one in particular i feel is going to be lost is the Meadow on Meadow St.

Its so demolished.

I spotted the post about Classic Rock bar, and i agree, why demolish for no apparent reason? (which, im sure im going to be corrected on)

ash

Sorry but it is a poor state of affairs in shiregreen we have two pubs left we started with 6 and they closed the best ones and left the dung piles open.

Its late, and I havent read the thread-posts, but one in particular i feel is going to be lost is the Meadow on Meadow St.

Its so demolished.

I spotted the post about Classic Rock bar, and i agree, why demolish for no apparent reason? (which, im sure im going to be corrected on)

ash

The Meadow is really good inside - an old unspoilt pub that could easily be a successful pub again when all the flats are built. Ironically that's probably why it'll get demolished. Most developers seem to think pubs are just obstacles to be got rid of, rather than assets to the communities they are supposedly building. The Classic Rock/Jolly Buffer went for the same reason.

The Meadow is really good inside - an old unspoilt pub that could easily be a successful pub again when all the flats are built. Ironically that's probably why it'll get demolished. Most developers seem to think pubs are just obstacles to be got rid of, rather than assets to the communities they are supposedly building. The Classic Rock/Jolly Buffer went for the same reason.

Yeah, the Meadow is pretty much the only victorian building left anywhere around there. Hope someone takes it on. The only exception I can think of is the Sportsman on Denby St, which looks great, 'the old and the new'.

If anybody is looking for a "traditional" pub on Ecclesall rd area why not stop in to the Devonshire opposite the old brewery. Good group of locals and now starting to attract the students that want a quieter night out as opposed to bar hopping. (its not rough or dirty inside) lol as everybody seems to think, recently refurbed and well maintained!

"It's not rough or dirty inside" - I think you've hit on a good catchphrase there - get it on one of those PVC banners on the outside.

It is a really nice pub though and each time I've been I can never understand why there's not more people in. I guess the location has been problematic - slightly too far for the Ecc Rd students and slightly too near town but not quite IN town. Once the new flats are built and if a bar ever opens in the vacant unit in Ward's flats it would all help and could really take off.

Exeter Flats ain't exactly a plus factor either