Anyone recall the dreadful pub conversions being made at the end of 1981 and up to around early 1984 in Sheffield? lots of good traditional pubs were internally ripped apart and re-designed as a theme or fun pub. I vividly recall THE PLOUGH in Sandygate suddenly becoming a huge aircraft hanger of a place painted black with a huge plough swinging from the roof!! It was amazing at the time but such bad taste in retrospect.

What about the BRINCLIFFE OAKS in 1983, a trad pub ruined and it became a dark flashing light type fun pub. And on a theme bar THE UNDERGROUND on Charkes STreet based around a tube station (that was good actually)

ANy one remember any more of these early 80's inventions, none of which survived more than a few years.

the woodthorpe arms and the lansdowne were done out quite good..loads od old barrels and wine bottles about making it look like an old cellar.

Originally posted by kirky
the woodthorpe arms and the lansdowne were done out quite good..loads od old barrels and wine bottles about making it look like an old cellar. i remember the barrells in the woodthorpe,they had holes in and if you looked thru you saw sexy cartoon imiges,and the juke box was designed to automatically adjust the volume to the amount of noise from the customers,shame it had to come down for housing

Blimey, what about The Millhouses (at Millhouses, funnily enough).

This was a traditional 2-room boozer, but seemingly overnight it became some sort of chrome and glass 'nite spot', with barmaids all wearing coordinated blue and pink jump suits, and neon signs saying 'cocktails'.

Then suddenly, around 1988 or so, it's transformed back again into a pretend authentic boozer, when it was the real thing just 4 or 5 years previously.

The Hornblower - done out to look like the inside of a ship.

It then became an Irish theme bar and now has been demolished to make way for S1.

Nomme

G-Fleece,
I am just too young to remember this era of pub ruination. But the de-partitioning of pubs is one of my particular gripes. How much more adaptable and multifunctional is a pub like the Grapes.

As I visit the stock of pubs in sheffield, I stare wonderously at the ceilings, wondering how it would have been if those huge lintels were still proper walls.

I know that the Pub Trade prefer huge barns with crazy crap all over thewalls from the firkin factory, but consider the following formula :-

[The amount of seperate rooms] is proportional to [the quality of the atmosphere in the pub]

More recently; the people who ruined the Hallamshire should be hung and drawn .

Muddycoffee - have to agree, and some more, regarding the rape of the Hallamshire on West Street. It's vulgar beyond words.

I didn't start frequenting pubs till February 1986 but recall the dark cavern that was the Brincliffe Oaks, my parents knew the landlady and landlord circa 1981/2. It used to have a fairly large pond in it before they 'themed' it. Then they put red transparent paper on the windows!

The Plough at Sandygate (mentioned elsewhere) and I believe the King's Head (RIP) were also 'themed' around 1982. I definitely remember the Hornblower and thought the fake Galleon at the rear was quite impressive.

Around 1987/1988 I frequented the West End on Glossop Road and at that point it had a bar upstairs and was IMO a smashing pub. Then down to the B-Hive and the original (and nice) West Street Hotel, now resembling some hooker's boudoir.

Why do they do it? Long live the real pub, The Bath, Brown Bear, Rutland Arms, Fagan's, Three Tuns, etc, etc.

I forgot to mention the impressive exposed breast of the lady atop The Hornblower's sign. As schoolkids our bus, en route to Glossop Road swimming baths would pass this stimulating sight.

By 'eck, it's a good job the water was always cold in the baths!!

Originally posted by nomme
The Hornblower - done out to look like the inside of a ship.

It then became an Irish theme bar and now has been demolished to make way for S1.

Nomme

I can remember when the Hornblower was called The Raven, we used to go in there from Surmanco just down the road for a swift couple of pints at lunchtime. They ruined a good pub, and it was a favourite haunt of students long before students were abused.

Lol & Madge kept it then, and had a bloke who did all the work called Maurice, who worked as a grave digger at City Rd Cemetery....boy did he have some good tales to tell.

Why do they do it? Long live the real pub, The Bath, Brown Bear, Rutland Arms, Fagan's, Three Tuns, etc, etc. [/B]

WELL SAID THAT MAN!!

Can you imagine THE BATH turned into a cocktail lounge in chrome and glass??

Can you imagine the BROWN BEAR as a wine bar with a dress policy?

Can you imagine FAGANS as a single room painted luminous yellow with silly theatrical masks on the wall all backlit, full of students with attitude drinking Carling lager, and being a SCream pub??

That God for that....neither can I

It wasn't only the interiors for some reason the powers that be want to change all the names.

Can anybody explain to me why The Bell Hagg became The John Thomas.

Admitted it has changed back now.

Why was it changed it in the first place?

The Shakespeare at Hillsboro is now The Shakey.

Why?

I could go on and on but I know I will get a satisfactory answer from the ideas people.

Happy Days

Originally posted by PopT
The Shakespeare at Hillsboro is now The Shakey.
Why?

Probably because that is what most locals have always called it.

This is not a new phenomina. The big tree was originally the mason's arms. The mucky duck was originally the black swan.

Both changed because that's what they were known as locally.

Originally posted by goldenfleece
Can you imagine FAGANS as a single room painted luminous yellow with silly theatrical masks on the wall all backlit, full of students with attitude drinking Carling lager, and being a SCream pub??

Well hold on to your hat about this one. The old disused factory, on the East side of bailey lane is earmarked for hundreds of student flats.
And the cleared land up scotland street is likely to go the same way. It's a pity that the Queen and R&B's didn't survive to see them though!

Originally posted by muddycoffee
Well hold on to your hat about this one. The old disused factory, on the East side of bailey lane is earmarked for hundreds of student flats.
And the cleared land up scotland street is likely to go the same way. It's a pity that the Queen and R&B's didn't survive to see them though!

OH MY GOD. you mean one of the last bastions of traditional ale houses is to go "trendy" at some point? HORROR!

There was a dodgy pub in High Green - done out like a scrap yard - think they called it Steptoes? Might be wrong it was a long time ago - early 80's.

Originally posted by nomme
The Hornblower - done out to look like the inside of a ship.

It then became an Irish theme bar and now has been demolished to make way for S1.

Nomme
Of course The Hornblower was previously known as The Raven, and was done out to look like a huge menacing black bird.

Oh hang on ... maybe that was a dream. :suspect:

Originally posted by Tony
Of course The Hornblower was previously known as The Raven, and was done out to look like a huge menacing black bird.

Oh hang on ... maybe that was a dream. :suspect:


..either that or it sold very strong ale...

Hey up all you ale drinkers, can anybody tell me since the tut and shive as had its name changed to the dove and rainbow is it still the same have they still got that old caravan in there I can remember the old dove and rainbow and when it was changed to the tut and shive oh also have they still got that devils head sticking out of the wall behind the bar. When I use to go in there I was sat on one of the high back stools and having supped a fair share of real ales hobgoblin,old peculiar, and one what was a special called rampant rocket fuel found out it was a 12% abv I fell of the stool didnt feel a thing until I went up the the frog and parrot and sat down with some friends of mine who by the way one was a nurse at the hallamshire hospital she saw that I was in pain and said what have you doneI replied in a slight slurred voice said fell of the stool in the tut and shive let me have a look at your ankle oh it looks like you have fractured it how can you tell well you dont see many bones sticking out the side of your ankle like that so it was off to the hospital where I spent 4 weeks in there and came out with a bloody pot on where two days later I was back in the hospital as I had fell down the stairs going to the loo and I was sober at that cant tell you what I shouted at the time but it is not for these pages.

Originally posted by bigkev
Hey up all you ale drinkers, can anybody tell me since the tut and shive as had its name changed to the dove and rainbow is it still the same have they still got that old caravan in there I can remember the old dove and rainbow and when it was changed to the tut and shive oh also have they still got that devils head sticking out of the wall behind the bar. When I use to go in there I was sat on one of the high back stools and having supped a fair share of real ales hobgoblin,old peculiar, and one what was a special called rampant rocket fuel found out it was a 12% abv
Yep the caravan and rock devil are still intact. The place is pretty much the same as it was as the tut. There was an identical tut in rotherham[no devil or caravan though!], they must have been franchises.

yes there was a tut and shive in rotherham but it as been completey revamped it is now the No 10 and it as changed beyond recognision too many yuppies go in now wall to wall carpets plush seating toilets revamped not like the tut at all. there is a tut and shive in doncaster that as never been changed still a good place for heavy rock music plenty of rock fans in there, there is a tut and shive in wakefield as well near the market place and that as never been changed there use to be one in barnsley if it is still there I havent been in it for over 10 years so it could have gone over to a trendy pub or it as been knocked out for good and changed. When I use to drink I use to visit all of them in a week but alas that will never happen now due to ill health.

I like the Dove and Rainbow, its probably the most bizarre alternative crowd pub in Sheffield. Very friendly and laid back though, never seen any trouble in there. The TUT AND SHIVE artwork inside was done post 1984 of course, there was a brief 90's revival of "theme" pubs but in a different way to the 80's.

Wasn't the infamous Dallas Bar a Hawaian-theme pub in this period? I recall tales in the Star newspaper of how the local residents objected to the behaviour of the regulars. The pub rapidly acquired a reputation of the blackest infamy, with lurid stories of regulars copulating in the gardens of local people. The newsagent, Len Beedham complained of goatish couplings beneath his bedroom window at night, and the nearby streets were allegedly condom- strewn. When one imagines the sight of revellers dressed as if in Honolulu, engaging in outdoor sex in Wincobank, a terrible dread is born.

Has your old local or a pub you used to use been ruined by development or so-called improvements. There’s many a pub in Sheffield (and elsewhere) that had a lovely atmosphere, only to be completely spoilt after being ripped apart.

Anyone remember the silly "fun bar" craze in the early 80's......A good example of a pub ruined in this way was “The Plough” on Sandygate Road, Crosspool. Thank god the craze didn’t last and many of the pubs were returned to how they were before.

There are pubs that were almost derelict and needed renovation to give them a new lease of life …..This post is not directed at these pubs. This post is about perfectly good pubs ruined because of some silly fashion.

The most rediculous theme pub I ever saw was the

JaIL HoUsE aLe HouSE
Which was in wath on dearn.
A former library building, the place was done out like a prison with cells and bars which could lock people into certain rooms. There was a bondage chair in one room where someone was tied to every night and a big vat of foam was dropped onto them from a hopper above like crackerjack. I played a couple of gigs there one for some reason, it was absolutely terrible. There were a couple of paralytic locals falling about and that was about it.

I remember the Dallas Bar, only ever went in once... I remember stories of wild sex in people's gardens on Fife Street and Standon Road. Can't really imagine it though. The barmaids danced on the bar and the tables, some said it was a good night out. not my cup of tea though.

Originally posted by nomme
The Hornblower - done out to look like the inside of a ship.

It then became an Irish theme bar and now has been demolished to make way for S1.

Nomme
God i remember the Hornblower. Really dark inside. If you ate there you couldn't see the food properly but that was probably just as well but they had a great jukebox.

Mumoftrips,
There has ALWAYS been 'wild sex' in gardens on Fife Street and Standon Road. Not to mention Woolley Woods, Wincobank Hill and occasionally midst the queue at the Post Office at the bottom of Newman Road.

bring back the Wapentake.

In the 1980's there was a pub in Middlesbrough that opened as a theme bar called 'Wickers World'!!

It looked like a showroom for conservatory furniture...even the mirrors were wicker framed and they had huge papasan chairs in the main windows...:gag:

After 6 mths the furniture was falling to pieces and nobody went in...it closed down not long after!

:hihi: