Nursery Tavern - Ecclesall Road

[docmel]

Visiting the old folks on Tuesday, I was wandering up and down Ecclesall Road (womenfolk exploring the shops etc) and I thought I would relive my youth and popped into the Nursery for a pint.

 

What happened and when?

 

I admit this was the first time I had been in for over twenty years since moving away, and I know that many pubs have all been 'done' - but this was a unique place - with all it's little rooms, antiques and the dominant landlady (what was her name?)

 

When I had a flat on Broomgrove road back in the early 70's this was my local - at that time they even had waiter service.

 

Ah well - signs of the times - no escaping barn -like drinking holes, inncessant music and posters everywhere advertsisng cheap booze

 

Now where did I put my Saga magazine and Grecian 2000?

[deadgobby]

Originally posted by docmel

Visiting the old folks on Tuesday, I was wandering up and down Ecclesall Road (womenfolk exploring the shops etc) and I thought I would relive my youth and popped into the Nursery for a pint.

 

What happened and when?

 

I admit this was the first time I had been in for over twenty years since moving away, and I know that many pubs have all been 'done' - but this was a unique place - with all it's little rooms, antiques and the dominant landlady (what was her name?)

 

When I had a flat on Broomgrove road back in the early 70's this was my local - at that time they even had waiter service.

 

Ah well - signs of the times - no escaping barn -like drinking holes, inncessant music and posters everywhere advertsisng cheap booze

 

Now where did I put my Saga magazine and Grecian 2000? [/quotepubs arn't cosy anymore

[Highnote]

I remember this Pub from way way back when it had all sorts of knick-knacks, curios on high shelves all around the various rooms,but what me and my mates really went went there for was because it always had the most gorgeous barmaids,need I say more???

[abigaler]

the landlady's name was Mrs.Jenkins .I bought a a lot of her antiques and things from her when she moved to live with her daughter and German son in law in a village near Huddersfield .She was a real character , many stories there , and was elderly when she retired .I offered her £800 for a table she had upstairs - no no she said , that's too much give me £500 - we settled on £600 and were both happy , as you say must be 20 years ago .She ran a good pub no nonsense plenty of respect .

Abi.

[samsmum]

I worked there in the early 1990s when i moved back to sheffield from london.

was a great pub....nice customers, nice staff....Paul the boss was a nice guy. heard he'd left the pub trade and is now a driving instructor!!!??

 

[jennifer]

Yeh it was my local student haunt in the late 90's. I remember it closing for a while a few years ago to be renovated into what it is now. To fit in with the trendy pub scene!

 

I have great memories of the place, the bar was on the right as u walked in the front door and i remember the sticky carpet from the beer spillages! pool table and little rooms - sadly all gone now!

[Fareast]

Yeah , Docmel , you must have had a terrible shock ! The Nursery was unique in its way and the sort of pub everybody imagines when they think of England ; now it's just one amongst many.

I first visited the Nursery in 1950 , as a 9 year old , sitting in the back garden with my parents. Even then , I liked , "the feel " of the place.I'm sure that in the garden there were various children's games -----I definitely remember a see-saw. The big tree was lit up at dusk with fairy lights. Through the back window you could see men playing snooker in that small back room they had , with the special-sized snooker table [5/7ths. I think ].

A few years later I was going in as a customer and went in on and off for a long time . The customers were a really varied lot and with a good core of regulars , it's what made it an interesting place.

Vera {Mrs. Jenkins } didn't serve a lot of food but did one speciality at lunchtime---hot pork sandwiches. Someone told me it got a mention in Enon Ronay's guide but , can't vouch for that.

All in all , very sad to see such a place disappear. Obviously Time doesn't automatically mean Progress !

[docmel]

Fareast,

 

I had forgotten the pork sarnies!!!

 

When I went in last week it looked like the garden was now a car park.

 

You were right about the customers - when I lived near there I would often pop in for a 'going home pint' after work. At that time it was mainly the guys from Eccesall / Dore and Totley having a quick snifter before home. Then as the evening wore on the student crowd would appear and, like you said, there was this magic mix - young and old, from all backgrounds - very few pubs outside of London achieve that, so why the brewery had to change it, gawd only knows.

 

Everywhere I go it seems like breweries have never heard of the saying - "If it aint broke then it don't need fixing" and rip apart some grand old licensed premises when what they should be doing is converting more old banks etc into trendy bars for the youngsters

 

Sorry - it is a bit of a soap box with me - I was bought up in the licensed trade and have fond memories of the late 50's being taken around pubs with my grandad - before they opened for the day - even now I will never forget that unique smell that all pubs had back then - all the larger pubs with snooker rooms - bell pushes for the waiters and larger than life landords.

 

Sundays all the men wore suits and Saturday nights was for the ladies and singing along to the piano - many times I have fallen asleep to the sound of the 'tap room' choir from the pub opposite where we used to live

 

Better stop now before I get too nostalgic - I am begining to sound like my dad - and he is in his 80's

[ianmarriott]

ah what memories,i lived in the area and me and my mate tony sandivasci had our first pint there,underage of course but it was the best we ever tasted it became our local,

[Wardsbitter]

Gentlemen

 

I am sure your memories are shared by thousands of Sheffielders - and me- the most classy pub in Sheffield utterly ruined- also what about the old Pomana? Ecclesall Roadis now finished as a a proper drinking area.

 

Time Gentlemen Please-Bless You All.

WB