Sheffield 'Fun Pubs' 1982-5

The whole UK fell to the concept of the FUN PUB design in the early 80's. These were often revamps of old traditional but failing locals, and completely transformed them.

I am only aware of two I used to haunt, being my local THE PLOUGH in Sandygate, which had its whole guts ripped out and became one large cavernous space with a plough suspended from the ceiling, and lots of flashing disco lights and loud sound system. The original old locals were horrified....

And the BRINCLIFFE OAKS, transformed into another large space with disco lighting and loud music and some bench type seating.

Anyone remember these? By the mid 1980's these had been converted back into more normal pubs, as the fun pub concept was a real passing fad that became dated very very quickly.

Depends what you call fun pubs but I remember the Sicey Hotel becoming a themed restaurant with little thatched booths and cobbled walkways food was good though! Also the Greengate Inn at high green became a themed fun pub but i cant remember what is was called. There was The Barrow at wincobank not sure if it was a fun pub but we had some cracking fun nights in there! This would be around the early 80s i guess.

The one in The Greengate at High Green was called 'The Tom Jones', and The Barrow at Wincobank was called 'The Dallas Bar'.

They turned the Lansdowne at the bottom of London Rd into a fun pub and in the process

took so many walls down the building became unsafe and had to be knocked down.

Seem to remember the one in Highgreen was called Steptoes and there was also one round back of town hall called Bar Rio which later changed to Yorkshire Grey .

Not as much in the 1980s more 1970s The Stonehouse pub with its courtyard, never saw it myself any idea when the courtyard was dismantled?

Seem to remember the one in Highgreen was called Steptoes and there was also one round back of town hall called Bar Rio which later changed to Yorkshire Grey .

Yes, you are right about 'Steptoes'. But before that the first disco room there was 'The Tom Jones'. It had scenes from the film painted on the walls and those blue tube lights at ceiling level. The lads wore white shirts, which of course appeared blue under those lights. This would be around 1965. That and The 'Turf Tavern' at Hoyland were the places to go. I spent many happy hours in both of them. No breath tests in those days. I honestly never saw any drunken person get in a vehicle and drive off. Perhaps I wasn't looking properly.

The whole UK fell to the concept of the FUN PUB design in the early 80's. These were often revamps of old traditional but failing locals, and completely transformed them.

 

I am only aware of two I used to haunt, being my local THE PLOUGH in Sandygate, which had its whole guts ripped out and became one large cavernous space with a plough suspended from the ceiling, and lots of flashing disco lights and loud sound system. The original old locals were horrified....

 

And the BRINCLIFFE OAKS, transformed into another large space with disco lighting and loud music and some bench type seating.

 

Anyone remember these? By the mid 1980's these had been converted back into more normal pubs, as the fun pub concept was a real passing fad that became dated very very quickly.

we visited a boozer called the amsterdam bar in Huddersfield one of the first fun pubs then they popped up all over sheffield bar rio dallas bar barrow boys but to name a few!

didn.t see much fun in the Heeley and Sheffield in 1986 when Stones revamped it with pool table slots and juke box--almost shut for 2 months only to find the beer had gone up from 70p to 77p----some old regulars went back just the once never to be seen again---other started going across the road to the Carlton club----progress marches on