Pubs

There have been a number of pubs that have existed in Hackenthorpe over the centuries, some still in operation such as The Sportsman and others long gone such as The New Inn and The Blue Bell. Here I will give a brief overview of the history of each pub, as always if you have an addition information, please feel free to get in touch.

The Blue Bell

The Blue Bell, which today exists as a convenience store on Main Street, was originally a one-roomed beerhouse. The original building was soon expanded and featured a total of three public rooms. It may be hard to believe, but it wasn't until 1949 when the building received full licensing. It is believed that the pub's earlier names were The Shoemakers, and The Boot and Shoe, this claim comes from the days when John Rowbotham owned the building. John was a shoemaker by trade and then became the landlord in 1868. James Staniforth was running the place before this, he was the son of George Staniforth and Ann Barker who ran The New Inn. Following James Staniforth the pub was ran by Elizabeth Linley, then John Rowbotham, he was followed by Sarah Brown, unknown Woughingham, Joseph Binner, William Linacre, Thomas Atkin, John Henry Frith and Ernest Barber. In 1955 the building was completely rebuilt, bringing it closer to the road and greatly extending it's size. This rebuild was linked to the fact the village was now part of Sheffield City and slum clearances and development was occurring at a rapid rate in the area, the village during the 1950s was drastically altered. In later years the pub was owned by Charringtons brewers.

The New Inn

The New Inn is a great example of a pub from a bygone era, today the building is occupied by the Vets at the end of Main Street, next to the post office on Sheffield Road. Prior to 1910 this building was owned by Thomas Staniforth from the Sickleworks. Outhouses including stables were found next to the main building. Victicuallers at The New Inn starting from 1833 include Martha Booth, James Staniforth and his father before him George Staniforth,  and William and Harry Helliwell. For a number of years the pub was locally known as 'Betsey's' when it was linked to the Hope and Anchor Brewery. The New Inn ran until 1959 when the pub closed and it's license was transferred to the nearby Golden Plover on July 20th 1959 which can still be found on Spa View Road.

The building was bought by J.F Whittlestone, vetinary surgeon and he changed the name to New Court. Today it is known as Crookes Vets.

The Sportsman

The Sportsman, believe it or not, was a free house for a number of years, until after the death of Mr JH Fruth in 1902. His widow took over the tenancy following his death and Walter Booth, the owner of the property then handed it over to Wards Ales from Sheffield for a term of 5 years. Following the end of this lease Old Albion Brewery held it until around 1950. Again a list of victiculars from 1833 include John Booth, John Booth Jr, John Brammall, Joshua Binney, Walter Booth, John Henry Frith, Caroline Frith, Charles Rippon, Tom Lancaster (Known for smoking cigars), Harry Lancaster, Winifred Lancaster and William Watson.

Just like The Blue Bell, the Sportsman was demolished and completely rebuilt during the housing redevelopment in 1950s Sheffield, This new building was set back further from the road than the older building with the older building being set close to the edge of the road. The old Sportsman was also much smaller than the current building.

Bath Hotel

The Bath Hotel was linked to the Birley Spa in it's glory days. The managers of the establishment for Lord Manvers were George Eadon, John Trillotson, William Budd, Alfred Lee, John Bradley and Thomas Lomas, this list spans 1845 to around 1878. With the decline of the Birley Spa baths the establishment closed.

When looking at old commercial directories it appears that another Hackenthorpe beerhouse is described however the location of this is unknown. It should also be noted that Victuallers were known to brew their own ales with a notable maltser being John Jubb at Drakehouse in the 1820s.

It is interesting to look back at village life at the turn of the 20th century, many of the village inns would be full before 8 O'clock in the morning due to them opening routinely every morning to catch the workers leaving their night shifts.



Once the 1950s Sheffield housing development was complete there were more establishments in Hackenthorpe, The Hogs Head at Delves Road, The Golden Plover at Birley Spa Lane amd the Working Men's Club at the end of Main Street, on the location of what was formerly Woodland Farm.