I remember 25 years ago going to a little bar it was downstairs exclusively heavy rock music dingy and small but I loved it.
Anyone remember its name.It was close by redgates toy store.It was there after too many beers I decided to leave England.

Are you thinking of the old wapentake, at the end of wellington street, thats neat the old redgates??

Downstairs and small?
Probably the Nelson which was across the road from Redgates [Sunwin House]. It became the Hop-pickers and Grapetreaders for a time then it had another name change [something Irish] and now is called the Nelson again and is a rock pub once more.
Other than that it would have to be the Underground near the Wap as that was a basement place and seemed fairly small although it was a bit decieving and was bigger than it looked.
If you are thinking of the Nelson on busy nights the few tables often got turned upside down to make a bit more standing room and it had a very nice lounge room upstairs and in those days sold the nicest pint of Strongbow in the city centre.

Did it have swirly patterns and bubbles projected onto the walls? And some kind of a mural featuring D Bowie as Aladdin Sane? If so, that's the Nelson.... a fine bar it was too! Used to go in there on the way to Bramall Lane on a Sat lunch time. Felt very grown up drinking in a town-centre pub...I was 15 :)

Sounds like the Nelson to me too, it had a few murals painted on the walls Hendrix being one, the lounge upstairs was a real contrast though.

Yup. Full of satin blouses and ruffles, it being the late 70s/early 80s. And that (ho, ho) was just the men...

I do remember tottering down the stairs from the lounge upstairs to the better-music basement in my 5" platforms and praying I wouldn't lose my step (and my half of lager and lime) on the way.

:)

Someone told me that there was somebody stabbed there, and it had it's name changed to the Hind. I first knew it as the hind, from the late 1980s onwards when I ventured into town and joined the rock scene when I was about 18. We played loads of gigs upstairs, and there was a resident rock DJ at weekends.

In the mid 1990s it became Shamus o'donnel's bar, and that lasted about 18m - 2 years or so. Then it was something else briefly and always empty and now it's back to Nelson again and is a serious rock bar and is extremely popular.

I'd forgotten that it was for some of it's life called the Hind, my aging memory playing tricks on me again. I remember though going in when it first became the Hop-pickers and Grapetreaders and being utterly apalled at the decor, the lighting, the horrible frosted lass partitions, and that was just downstairs. They'd tried to make the upstairs a posh wine bar sort of place and it was VILE, Glad that the pub has re-emerged as the Nelson again and has something of a rock image but it could do with being three times the size to cater to Sheffields thriving rock enthusiasts.

Amongst the murals on the walls of the Nelson were Alice Cooper and Jimmy Page.

They also moved the bar upstairs from the side wall to the back wall.....think it had more room with the bar in the original place.....

and also it was briefly a curious very chavvy karoake bar about 3 years ago before it re-opened as THE NELSON....had a very silly name......

the Nelson (http://citysnapper.org/dm/sheff2004/10/20041025a0nelson.jpg)
the Wap (http://community.webshots.com/photo/112108582/112118089QEoZqS)

Originally posted by goldenfleece
and also it was briefly a curious very chavvy karoake bar about 3 years ago before it re-opened as THE NELSON....had a very silly name......
bar latino? (http://www.sheffieldpubs.fsnet.co.uk/Business/pubs/barlatino.htm)

I remember seeing Def Leppard playing at the Wap...I blame my loss of memory on the Snakebite... In fact I had a fight with one of them one christmas...they practised in an old factory off London Road I think...

I remember the Nelson (before it got a naff makeover) and the Wapp very well! The Wapp had a kind of swimming pool changing rooms type of floor. There was a DJ?? The beer was in plastic glasses! Anyone remember Rebels too? Down by the market somewhere? Used to go there every Saturday night without fail!!!

And of course there was the large back room at the White Lion at Heeley Bottom where a lot of rocker types went too, me included, very frequently!

Of course if you really want to remember the Wap and Rebels, just visit Rock Reunited (http://www.rockreunited.co.uk) to see hundreds of photos of heavy rock heaven in those places, from years past. :clap:

Originally posted by Strix
bar latino? (http://www.sheffieldpubs.fsnet.co.uk/Business/pubs/barlatino.htm)

Now that just looks horrible!!
I've got no recollection of it ever looking like that but I suppose it may of been whilst i was working out of Sheffield and as I was based near Derby the only reason to come up to Sheffield was to see my girlfriend rather than the city centre.

I agree wall builder, it looks awful. I don't really think it's the old Nelson at all, there are no damp patches where the beer has come back up. :gag:

Originally posted by WallBuilder
Now that just looks horrible!!
I've got no recollection of it ever looking like that but I suppose it may of been whilst i was working out of Sheffield and as I was based near Derby the only reason to come up to Sheffield was to see my girlfriend rather than the city centre.
Well, it was only open like that, as bar latino, for a month or so, before it was empty again for months and then became the Nelson again.

I was manager of The Nelson 73-75 when it had the best jukebox in town.[grand funk railroad, being the most obscure record on it]
On a sunday morning we put the box on to run out the unplayed tunes,it was still playing at 6pm.
The guy who was stabbed was Joe Hancock, it happened in 1967 I think.
Before Don Millward,the previous manager,turned it into the rock pub, it was a normal? very popular place that played Motown,soul music ,with a very sticky carpet.
Hope this is of interest to the oldies.

vanjon
that is fantastic info. Do you have any pics of those times and have you seen the other pics on rock reunited, which go right back to those times and even before in some cases.

Rock Reunited (http://www.rockreunited.co.uk)

sadly no pics,but a very clear memory of it.
first pub to sell draught Stella,[possibly].we didnt sell much of it,but it tasted much maltier than it does now.
I`ve been on the rock reunited site and only recognise one guy.
Most played disc - See Emily play or whole lotta love.
Worst experience- blue angels demanding a bottle of whisky with a shotgun or maybe collecting a plastic pint pot full of warm
yellow liquid [many times] but hey before the Nellie I had The Minerva,now that was an eye opener.

Originally posted by vanjon
sadly no pics,but a very clear memory of it.
first pub to sell draught Stella,[possibly].we didnt sell much of it,but it tasted much maltier than it does now.
I`ve been on the rock reunited site and only recognise one guy.
Most played disc - See Emily play or whole lotta love.
Worst experience- blue angels demanding a bottle of whisky with a shotgun or maybe collecting a plastic pint pot full of warm
yellow liquid [many times] but hey before the Nellie I had The Minerva,now that was an eye opener.

where was the minerva? i remember the name but not the location

The mention of the 'Blue Angels' has made me think were they also known as the 'Yorkshire Blues'?
I once remember meeting or at least observing one of this gang in the Wap in the early 80's , although colors were not allowed to be worn openly no-one liked to ask him to remove his. It was rather strange as he looked to be in his early 50's complete with a grey haired pony tail and he didn't say much but he just had this air about him that said 'bug off'

Originally posted by WallBuilder
The mention of the 'Blue Angels' has made me think were they also known as the 'Yorkshire Blues'?
I once remember meeting or at least observing one of this gang in the Wap in the early 80's , although colors were not allowed to be worn openly no-one liked to ask him to remove his. It was rather strange as he looked to be in his early 50's complete with a grey haired pony tail and he didn't say much but he just had this air about him that said 'bug off'

you shudda told him to gerra wesh

Yep, Muddy Coffee, someone else directed me there - amazing! What a dump those places were! Obviously didn't seem so bad in a drunken haze...!

The Minerva changed to the Yorkshire Grey, opposite the Roebuck.
The Blue Angels originated from Glasgow I think.

Does anyone remember Mckloskeys Apockalypse [3 piece band with a mad fiddle player]?l

i remember the druids set of over weight hairy soap dodgers if you ask me

Originally posted by kirky
i remember the druids set of over weight hairy soap dodgers if you ask me

i bet you never said it to there face did you:heyhey:

Originally posted by panda79
i bet you never said it to there face did you:heyhey:

no...i wasn't that brave:D

Originally posted by kirky
no...i wasn't that brave:D

i must admit they did look a bit scruffy but dont hells angels have to go through a cereomony of having there leathers soaked in urine and having to wear the said items for weeks on end ?

The Druids were not Hells Angels, they were a motorcycle gang who might of worn colors but always vanished if true Hells Angels were around.
Some of the older one's rode bikes and were given a sort of 'respect' but a lot of the younger one's [prospects] were just louts and could be seen on public ttransport as they didn't own a bike.

Originally posted by panda79
i must admit they did look a bit scruffy but dont hells angels have to go through a cereomony of having there leathers soaked in urine and having to wear the said items for weeks on end ?

i think my 9 year old is an hells angel:| :|

Don't know howto do that linc thingie yet, but the photo of the Nelson looks like that corner where a jewelry shop was and a sports shop around that corner, down from the city hall.

hope not, that was a decent corner !

Originally posted by kirky
i think my 9 year old is an hells angel:| :|

whats the evidence does he or she have a fondness for hawkwind and alpine orangeade if so it could be a problem :D

Originally posted by expat
I remember 25 years ago going to a little bar it was downstairs exclusively heavy rock music dingy and small but I loved it.
Anyone remember its name.It was close by redgates toy store.It was there after too many beers I decided to leave England.

That is definitley the Nelson Dive Bar I was barman in there 1969-71 and we had the best jukebox in town. We had abig camoflage net strung over the ceiling. God knows what crap was in it because I can never remember it being taken down.

The parties and afters used to go all night sometimes, even the coppers used to come to the back door for a pint at about 2am.

Many times I used to straight to my day job after a couple of hours kip on one of the seats. wounldnt get away with it these days

i noticed reading through the replys no bodys mentioned the
buccaneer bar on leopold street

what a great place that was plastic glasses
brown ale load music great atmsphere
i.am 51 now but if the buc was stil open i would still be going

Originally posted by vanjon
The Minerva changed to the Yorkshire Grey, opposite the Roebuck.
The Blue Angels originated from Glasgow I think.

Does anyone remember Mckloskeys Apockalypse [3 piece band with a mad fiddle player]?l

Yes! And the crazy guy with the great coat doing 'Wild Thing'
At the Broadfield and White Lion among other places

Originally posted by thejoker
i noticed reading through the replys no bodys mentioned the
buccaneer bar on leopold street

what a great place that was plastic glasses
brown ale load music great atmsphere
i.am 51 now but if the buc was stil open i would still be going

Buccaneer (http://www.moss-net.co.uk/buccaneer/index.htm)

Originally posted by vanjon
The Minerva changed to the Yorkshire Grey, opposite the Roebuck.
The Blue Angels originated from Glasgow I think.

Does anyone remember Mckloskeys Apockalypse [3 piece band with a mad fiddle player]?l

I have a photo taken in Weston Park in the 70,s, but you can only see the fiddle player from the front.
Weston Park Free Concerts 70's (http://www.moss-net.co.uk/mosborough/gallery.htm)

Originally posted by Lostrider
I have a photo taken in Weston Park in the 70,s, but you can only see the fiddle player from the front.
Weston Park Free Concerts 70's (http://www.moss-net.co.uk/mosborough/gallery.htm)

Those pics take me back i was there at that day.
Thanks Lostrider
Geoff H

hey the buc was by far the best rock bar ever in sheffield then and now could do with something simular now for us old rock fans and why not after the excellent return of the world greatest band ever and ever and ever LED ZEPPELIN