Some classic pubs in steel-city, Sheffield

Over the course of my day out in Sheffield, I visited six pubs. These were the Fat Cat, the Kelham Island Tavern, and the Millowners Arms – all within the Kelham Island area. Next on the list was the Wellington Hotel, just on the edge of the latter, the Bath Hotel, close to the city centre, and finally the Sheffield Tap, which forms part of the city’s main rail station.

The Fat Cat, at Kelham Island, was the obvious starting point, especially in view of the closure of local brewery (Kelham Island), so it was there that, in, I arranged to meet Martin, and possibly Will, (Sheffield Hatter). Martin had kindly supplied me with a map (Bing), along with a screen shot of the pub’s menu. The prices looked an absolute bargain, particularly when compared to Kentish prices, so the Fat Cat it was.

I shall recount, in a later post, my confusion regarding the distances shown on the map, but suffice to say, once I had got my bearings after leaving Sheffield station and was confident, I was heading in the right direction, the walk down to Kelham Island was a breeze. It was all downhill for a start, and with the clouds dissipating, and the sun breaking through, it was the perfect weather for a stroll to this formerly, heavily industrialised area of Sheffield.

Arriving almost on the dot of 1.30pm, our agreed eta, I just had time to order myself a pint of Kelham Island Best, before noticing that Martin had arrived in the other bar. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Martin suggested we order lunch – possibly mindful that it was missed of the itinerary on our visit to Bath, a couple of months’ previously.

Lunch it was then, along with another pint, this time Kelham Island’s legendary, and award winning, Pale Rider. The barman had already informed me that there was roughly just a week’s stock of Kelham Island beers remaining, so it was a good idea to sample them, before they disappear completely. So, a sad, and slightly poignant experience, having to say goodbye to this excellent, pale, and well-hopped beer – one that was something of a trailblazer, in its day. 

The steak pie was excellent, with potato wedges, mushy peas, and gravy, all for just £5.50. You could expect to pay double and in some places triple, for that in the south east! Will arrived soon after, and filled us in as to what he had been up to.

The Fat Cat shares a name with an equally famous pub in Norwich, and also serves a wide and varied range of beers, all from mainly local independent breweries, but apart from that there is no connection between the two. It is a multi-roomed, pub, with bars leading off form a central serving area and corridor. I visited a couple of similar pubs in Stockport recently, all reminding me of my days as a student in Salford, Greater Manchester.  

Martin suggested I visit the museum next door, whilst him and Will called in at the adjoining Millowners Arms. The museum pays homage to Sheffield’s industrial past and its role as one of the most famous steel-making cities in the world. It allows visitors to grasp the development and scale of its furnace and steel forging and industries and is the sort of place you could spend several hours in, if it wasn’t for the fact, you would be wasting valuable drinking time! So, after a quick tour, I joined Martin and Will who were sitting at a table, outside the Millowners, overlooking the river Don, as it runs through Kelham Island. 

The pub was created from an old storeroom, and opened as a full-time pub in November 2019. It is operated by the same people as the museum cafe. Up to six cask ales are available, but I just had a swift half of Abbeydale Moonshine, as Martin and Will were keen to move on. I found out later, that the Millowners houses a display showcasing Sheffield’s brewing heritage – now that would have been far more interesting than steel making, even though as a scientist, I’m supposed be interested in such things!

Moving swiftly on, we made our way through more of the post-industrial landscape, arriving at the area’s other famous pub, the Kelham Island Tavern. This gem of a pub was rescued from dereliction in 2002 and was awarded CAMRA National Pub of the Year for two years running, (2008 and 2009). Up to twelve hand pumps dispense an impressive range of beers, which normally include dark beers, such as a mild, a porter and a stout.

There are two rooms inside, plus a small, but attractive, L-shaped garden at the side and rear. According to my notes on Untappd, I enjoyed a rather tasty pint of Port Out Porter, from Half Moon Brewery. The Tavern certainly lived up to its reputation, and it almost seemed a shame to go, but there were a few more pubs to visit, so it was onward and upwards.

It was certainly upwards in Martin’s case, as he had to nip home for a change of clothing. He was off to a gig in Leeds that evening. The upwards comment refers to his house being situated at the top of a steep hill! Will and I headed to the Wellington, another classic local pub, boasting three cosy, rooms, along with a good range of beers. There is a connection with Neepsend Brew Co, whose beers form the core range, although they are brewed on a separate site.

I opted for the Neepsend Hati, a New England Pale Ale, that was hazy, and thereby true to style. We joined the drinkers in the left-hand room, several of whom, Will knew. (I told you he’s a real pub man!) There was a bit of banter, plus plenty of swapping of news concerning local beers and pubs, which meant the Wellington was the place where it would be only too easy to end up spending the rest of the afternoon.

The next pub was back in the city centre, at the top of the hill, but fortunately there was the option of a tram to take us there.
Even more fortunate was the conductor accepting my bus-pass, as Will thought that only local passes were valid. So, as I mentioned in the previous post, this was my first ride on a tram for seven years, and my first ever within the UK!

The pub we were making for was the Bath Hotel, a pub with an interior of historic national importance, which retains, most of its original 1931 layout and fittings. This makes it an unusually complete example of a Sheffield corner public house. Until just a few weeks before my visit, the Bath had been managed by Thornbridge Brewery, but has now become a free house, employing the same staff, and keeping much else the same too. 

The bar is situated between a tiled lounge, a small corridor drinking area and a cosy well-upholstered snug. The latter seemed popular with local students, but Will and I were content to stand in the corridor, in sight and in reach of the bar. It wasn’t long before Martin re-joined us, looking ready for a night out in Leeds. Beer-wise I opted for a pint of Barnsley Bitter from Acorn Brewery. This chestnut-coloured beer is well-hopped and is based on the famous Barnsley Bitter which was originally brewed in the town, until the early 1970’s. 

We left the Bath Hotel and headed for the station. Martin departed on foot, leaving Will and I to make use of our bus passes. We met up at the Sheffield Tap, situated on platform 1b of Sheffield station. The tap was built in 1904 and opened as the first-class refreshment room for the old Midland Station. After many years of neglect the main bar area was carefully restored in order to highlight many of its original features. As with the Bath Hotel, the Tap is included on CAMRA's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors. 

Being early evening, the pub was packed, both inside and out, but we manage to find room to stand whilst enjoying a few of its impressive range of beers. I chose a beer from the other side of the Pennines, in the form of Manchester Bitter from Marble Brewery. Deep golden in colour, with a robust bitterness to match, it was the perfect beer to finish on. Martin departed to catch his train to Leeds. I had a little more time and Will tried persuading me to have another. I’d had my fill by then, so after declining his offer and thanking him for his company, I too wandered off and made my way to the London-bound train, waiting on one of the opposite platforms.

If you’ve read this far, and looked at the photos, you will know that I had a good day, and was impressed by Sheffield, its pubs, and its beers. So, with special thanks to Martin and Will for showing me around steel-city, and looking after me, I shall sign off now.  

 

Sheffield for the day

I had a fantastic day out in Sheffield on Thursday, where I enjoyed the fine company of Retired Martin and Sheffield Hatter. Both are renowned pub men, with a good knowledge of what is happening on the local pub scene, even though Martin is a relatively newcomer to the city, after moving there from the Fens. (I think he wanted some hills to challenge himself!)  The pair took me to some excellent pubs where we all enjoyed some good and reasonably priced beer, and in one, a bargain-priced pub meal.

Sheffield city centre seemed eminently doable on foot, and for those times when speed was of the essence there was the option of both bus and tram. The latter was a real novelty, as I haven’t travelled on a tram since my last visit to Prague, back in 2015. The weather was kind too, with warm temperatures, wall-to-wall sunshine; factors that helped show off the city of Sheffield at its best. This was an added bonus, as it had been tipping down with rain as I walked from home to Tonbridge station that morning.

The highlights of the day were the Kelham Island area of the city, with its two award winning pubs. The nearby, and very traditional Wellington Inn at the bottom of the hill, and then the tastefully renovated, multi-roomed Bath Hotel, at the top. Finally, there was the delight of the impressive Sheffield Tap, situated next to the station. The perfect place for a few pre-train beers.

As for the trains, I travelled to Sheffield using the East Midland Railway service, from London St Pancras, having first reached the latter using a Thameslink service from London Bridge. The trains ran to time and the various connections all passed smoothly. This was my first proper visit to Sheffield, as with the previous ones I was literally, just passing through, primarily in connection with walking holidays in the Peak District.  The railway station seemed vaguely familiar, but that was about it.

This is only a brief snapshot of my visit, and a much more detailed report will follow in due course. In the meantime, thank-you to Retired Martin, and Sheffield Hatter, for acting as my guides, and also to whoever it was in the Department of Transport for releasing those cut-price rail tickets. They obviously had the right affect, as the train was quite full – so let’s have more of the same please!

 

Getting to know you

I said I would add some more thoughts about my recent trip to Cambridge, but before going through these, I want to explore the wider picture, of what exactly is involved when visiting a new location for the first time.  First, it’s almost a given that you only really scratch the surface, on that initial visit. Taking this a stage further, it’s fair to say that all cities, large towns and even some of the smaller ones, require more than one visit to properly do them justice.

Some require substantially more, but it’s safe to say that two or three stays at an unfamiliar destination, does leave you with a sense of knowing the place to a reasonable extent. More importantly, it becomes increasingly easier to find your way around, as you become more and more familiar with the intricacies of the public transport system. You end up intrinsically knowing the relation of a city’s prominent building’s or must-see sites to one another and, most importantly, you know where the best boozers are.

I have made umpteen trips to both Munich and Prague, and have visited other European cities such as Barcelona, Cologne, Bruges, Regensburg, and Nuremberg, several times. Each visit I have uncovered something new, as well as re-aquatinting myself with some of the best bits of these locations. 

It’s the same with certain towns, although depending on their size, familiarising yourself is significantly easier. There is always something though to surprise, and occasionally delight, even the most seasoned visitor, especially if one looks hard enough. Understanding the geography and layout of the location, is perhaps the key to becoming better acquainted. This is particularly true if the city lies on a river, as the majority of them do, as the water course acts as a focal point. Other features such as royal palaces, main railway stations, cathedrals, churches, and parks, all act as way-point to help on get one’s bearings.

The best way of describing this process is, after the couple of visits, you’ve probably visited several different areas of a city, but as you journeyed to these districts in isolation, you don’t yet realise how they interconnect with each other. It is only after three or four visits to a location, sometimes made over a time span of several years, that you finally understand the relationship between these different districts and start to appreciate the bigger picture.

Cambridge was no exception to this process, as one visit has only provided a brief snapshot of this historic and bustling university city. My first impressions were of a vibrant city that definitely seems to have got its mojo back after the dark days of the pandemic. Pedestrian-friendly, in the main, and easy to get around on foot. If I visit alone, I can make full use of my bus pass, as well. The student population adds an atmosphere and charm of its own.

Last Thursday’s visit did at least give a glimpse of the lie of the land, and whilst none of the various parts really came together, I got a good feel for the place. That is an important consideration, as I now know the best way to reach the city centre on foot, from the station, and also know that many of Cambridge’s most prominent colleges are sited down by the river. The visit allowed me to discover the delights of a small number of the city’s pubs and made me aware of others that I want to try, on subsequent visits.

These include some of the pubs close to the Free Press, mentioned in the previous post, and also include the Champion of the Thames, Cambridge’s sole city-centre National Inventory listed pub. Perhaps next time, I will make it to the Cambridge Brewhouse rather than the Cambridge Tap!

It is on those visits that I intend doing some of the more cultural stuff, that son Mathew was reluctant to participate in. This means, a visit to Kings College Chapel, in order to get a feel of where the Christmas Eve service, of Nine Lessons and Carols is broadcast from.  In addition, I shall cross the river Cam to take a wander along the Backs. I might even walk as far as Grantchester and its famous meadows, as immortalised by the Roger Waters/Pink Floyd track of the same name.

It’s worth noting the brief visit I made to Grantchester, several years ago, on one of my many trips up to Norfolk, when my father was still alive. I’d booked an overnight stay at the Red Lion, in the village of Stretham, just to the south of Ely, and had arranged to meet Retired Martin for the first time. That evening Martin and Mrs RM called to collect me, and drove us to Ely, where they showed me around the city and introduced me to a few of its finest pubs.

On the way to Stretham, I stopped off for a pint at Grantchester’s historic and unspoiled Blue Ball Inn, which features on CAMRA’s National Heritage Pub Register. As I recall, parking was a bit of an issue, (that's my car in the bottom left-hand corner of the photo), so it would be good to walk out there again, without having to worry where to leave the car or restricting my beer intake, because of having to drive.

It’s interesting trying to compare Cambridge with its rival university city, Oxford.  I have visited, and stayed in the latter, several times back in my own student days, and would say that without doubt, Oxford too is worthy of a revisit.

 

This is especially true after a gap of 40 years, although the sad demise and closure of the city’s only established brewer, Morrell’s, means the beer scene in Oxford is somewhat diminished from what I knew back in the late 1970’s.

So, there we have it, Paul’s perhaps over-thought description of the steps involved in becoming familiar with a new destination, and how the process applied to Cambridge. 

Does any of this sound familiar, or am I just making it all up? I’d be interested to know your thoughts.

Cambridge for the first time

Young Master Matthew, or perhaps not quite so young Matthew, has been on leave from work this week. I’d been promising him a day out for some time, and after turning down his suggestion of London – we always seem to gravitate towards the capital, I proposed somewhere further afield. Salisbury was the first destination I came up with, but after checking rail fares, we decided I was rather on the dear side, for Matthew at least, seeing as he doesn’t possess a railcard.

Cambridge came up next and, as the pricing was a lot more sensible, we decided on this city, best known for its famous university. Now it might seem a little strange but having reached the ripe old age of sixty-something, I have to confess to never having visited Cambridge. I’ve by-passed it by car and ridden through it by rail and have even changed trains there, but having never left the confines of the station, I can hardly say that I’ve been to the city.

The crazy thing is that with the introduction of Thameslink rail services, Cambridge is easier than ever to reach by train, from Tonbridge. The journey involves just one change of train at London Bridge, and then it’s a direct Thameslink service to Cambridge. So, none of that messy changing of stations in London, that used to characterise rail journeys to East Anglia.  For example, cheap rail travel to Norfolk, in order to visit my parents, used to be possible with the aid of a Network Southeast card. It involved taking the train to Kings Lynn, which at the time, was part of British Rail’s Network Southeast. My father would then drive to Kings Lynn to collect me and the family.

It was still a pain transferring from London Bridge to Kings Cross, even when using the old Thameslink station in Pentonville Road, but after privatisation we switched to the Liverpool Street-Norwich option which, whilst easily walkable from London Bridge, was not favoured by Mrs PBT’s, who preferred a taxi instead! I am digressing a little but having now experienced the advantages of the seamless travel offered by Thameslink, wanted to make the point.

Our journey on Thursday saw Matthew and I catch the 09.35 train from Tonbridge, and then transferring onto the 10.16 Thameslink train at London Bridge. Matthew even had time to pick up a couple of sausage rolls, as a late breakfast, before boarding the train. My only criticism of the service relates to the rolling stock, as the seats on the lengthy, seamless trains are hard and rather uncomfortable. I get the impression they were not designed with long journeys in mind, but with the return services to Cambridge we used, the trains originated and terminated at Brighton. Also, there are no buffet car facilities – again probably due to most of the journeys being short distance, covering limited sections of the Brighton-Cambridge run. These are small gripes, and we enjoyed a pleasant journey all the way from south of the Thames to Cambridge’s spacious and recently expanded station.

After experiencing a 10-minute delay, just outside Finsbury Park, we arrived in Cambridge shortly before midday, and then set off to walk into the city centre. I hadn’t bothered to print off a map from Google, prior to our journey (big mistake!), as I was relying on finding the Tourist Information Centre. My family mock me for diving into these treasure troves of information, every time we visit a new location, but why take the p*ss over something that is both useful and in the long run, time-saving?

Coming from a different generation, Matthew told me to use my phone instead – something I did end up doing later on, but he then became embarrassed because the volume, from the Google assistant, was too loud. Sometimes you just can’t win!  We found our way into central Cambridge without too much trouble and found the place booming. First impressions were the number of Chinese restaurants we passed, most of which seemed much more authentic (judging by the Chinese writing/characters), than the “westernised” versions we are used to locally. There were also several Korean restaurants – something that reminded me of my visit to Japan. After stopping for a coffee just off the Market Square, we made our way to Kings College and sat on one of the stone benches opposite to enjoy our drinks.

I had it in mind to take a look at the world-famous chapel at Kings, although my philistine son wasn’t quite as keen. “Do we have to?” “I bet you have to pay!” Well of course you do, but just to make sure we wandered across to the entrance to enquire. Tickets were available from the Kings College Shop opposite, with final admissions at 3pm. Whilst there I asked the porter if he could recommend a decent pub nearby.

Without hesitation he suggested we try the Eagle, which was down a side street, virtually opposite the college. I’d carried out some prior research, so knew all about the Watson & Crick connection, but still listed patiently to the story again. Ten there was the one about the US Airmen who used the pub during World War II.

We thanked him and walked over to the pub, both with a king-sized thirst, and after entering the main bar at the front, to order our beers. There was a woman in front of us, complaining about the price of her gin and tonic – she had never been charged so much. Without wishing to stereotype, she was from up north, so perhaps careful with her money, but she seemed to forget she was in a prime tourist spot.

Matthew and I looked at each other with knowing glances, and I shall leave the matter at that, but to me, the £10.20 we paid for a pint of Milton Pegasus plus a pint of Estrella seemed reasonable, given the pub’s location. I asked the barman about the room containing the airmen’s signatures, and was informed it was at the rear of the pub. We made our way through, but the room was packed out, mainly with American veterans, judging by their baseball caps.

We opted for the garden instead and found a vacant table overlooking the courtyard. It was then that we witnessed another act of a demanding (some might say terminally stupid) customer. There was a group of tables opposite us, with canopies above and, as we subsequently discovered, overhead heaters. One of the women sitting there, called a member of staff over and asked if she could have the heating on?

Bearing in mind this was mid-May, and the temperature was a shade under 20°C, I would have told her where to go, or perhaps suggested she put on the coat that was casually draped over the back of her chair. Totally oblivious to rising energy costs and global warming in general, this “entitled”, and rather selfish woman got her way – but really?

The beer was good though, and slipped down well, so suitably refreshed we departed by the side entrance to do a spot of sight-seeing. This involved wandering down to the river, standing on the bridge to photograph the Mathematical Bridge, and then having a look at the visitors queueing up at Scudamore’s Boatyard. Matthew wasn’t keen, as he can’t swim, but having been there and done that (in Oxford, rather than Cambridge), I wasn’t too bothered at missing a punt, especially as it would mean wasting valuable drinking time.

We were both feeling peckish as well, so without further ado, headed back into the city centre, skirting past Newnham College on the way. I was making for the renowned Free Press pub, but having not managed to obtain a map, I was relying on my phone.  I managed to navigate us there successfully and was really pleased that we had made the effort, as the Free Press was a smashing little, multi-room, back street boozer. Unfortunately, we’d arrived slightly too late for something to eat, as the kitchen closes at 2pm weekdays.

A packet of crisps tidied us over until something more substantial could be obtained, but meanwhile a beer was in order. Although the Free Press is tied to Greene King, guest beers are available and the 4.4% abv Spring Ale from Twickenham Brewery that I chose, was the second good pint of the day. St Austell Tribute and Robinson’s Unicorn were the other choices, but being something of a lager lout, Matthew went for the Prahva Lager from Prague.

We had a brief look around, before settling for a table in the right-hand room. There were a few other people in the pub, and I got the impression that the Free Press is a pub for both serious drinking, but also serious conversation. It seemed very much like my sort of pub, and it would have been nice to have stayed for another, but the lack of solid nourishment, meant it was time to move on.

The area surrounding the Free Press had the appearance of a very pleasant neighbourhood, with an abundance of white-painted Victorian cottages. I said as much to Matthew, but I don’t think he quite appreciated what I was saying, especially as my thoughts had been influenced by the presence of several other attractive looking pubs nearby. The Elm Tree, the Cricketers, and the Clarendon, all looked worthy of a visit, and in truth I haven’t seen such a concentration of back street locals for many years. Maidstone and Sevenoaks both used to have areas like this, but sadly no more.

The next pub was the Cambridge Tap, which I somehow mistook for the Cambridge Brewhouse – surely an elementary schoolboy error! The former is a McMullen’s pub, just off the city’s main shopping area, which surprised me with its absence of McMullen’s cask beer. However, having studied the food offering posted outside, there was no way we were going to pass by the chance of something to eat, just because there was no cask.

The food offering was excellent, and I enjoyed one of the best burgers I have had for a long time, with a thick, tasty and really succulent chunk of ground, minced beef. The beers were from McMullen’s Rivertown Brewing subsidiary, which effectively is a craft-keg operation. The 5.6% IPA I opted for went really well with the food, and according to the website is brewed with Mosaic and Rakau hops, chosen for their fruity properties. Matthew, true to form, went for the Pilsner, which he too enjoyed.

Whilst ordering, I had a chat with the bar staff, the Tap is a new venture for McMullen’s in Cambridge, and whilst the bar only opened in December last year, it has proved a great success. I questioned the lack of any McMullen’s cask, and the feeling was it might be introduced at a later date. That might be doubtful, as looking at the clientele it seemed obvious that the brewery was targeting a younger, mainly student market, and if I’m brutally honest the craft-keg IPA was far better than any of Mac’s cask offerings I can recall.

We did a spot of shopping, before heading back to the station. I have been trying to find a plain, white, long-sleeve shirt, of the type suitable for wearing with a suit – it’s for the cruise you see! M&S in Tunbridge Wells were unable to provide one in my size, and whilst their Cambridge outlet could, they were only available in a 3-pack. I don’t want three, particularly when the pack is priced at £45!

Being semi-retired, I am winding down from that sort of stuffy dressing. John Lewis had white shirts, in my size, and sold them singly, but they were all branded, and quite frankly I don’t wish to fork out £75 just to advertise the names of Calvin Klein or Tommy Hilfiger!

Apart from that it was a good day out, even though we really only scratched the surface of Cambridge. There will be some more thoughts to come, on that subject, in a separate post.