Did Ansell's brewery have any pubs in Sheffield?

[sadbrewer]

Did Ansell’s Brewery have any pubs in Sheffield?

 

 

Mixed bag. Part 2.

 

I’ve not supped at all the pubs in this post.

 

1. Thank you for your kind words Sadbrewer, Grappler and Choogling.

 

2. Sadbrewer. I wasn’t trying to mislead by putting up the Higson’s beermat. I just wanted to show the Higson’s emblem to others who may not have seen it in the past (I like to be helpful). However, on the sign outside the King’s Arms was definitely a Liverbird, with ousthouse above / behind it. Let’s hope someone may have a clearer photo of the sign at King’s Arms. I’ll keep searching. The Bass sign in the foreground makes things interesting though regarding the brewing of Higson’s in Sheffield, if it was brewed here. Here is a new pic. It is a shot of the Gas Board opposite the King’s arms. A door or so higher up from the gas company on Commercial Street is the Gambit Restaurant entrance. Blame the photographer for the poxy quality of the snap. LOL.

 

Also, you are right about the Golden Plover not being a Mansfield Brewery pub. I was mistaken but wasn’t trying to mislead. Let that be clear.

 

3. I mentioned Horseshoe (Horses Hoe) Inn on Bell House Road in my previous post it once sold Bentley’s Rotherham ales. Here is a pic from my extensive (LOL) private collection. Here’s another.

 

4. Kimberley Ales: Springfield (ex-Whitbread) Tavern, Lord Nelson (Fanny’s), Nags Head (Loxley). Ship Inn, Gypsy Queen. The Albion hotel in the Spital Hill area also sold Kimberley beer. Any others?

 

5. Tetley: I noticed circa 1970-72 that Tetley had opened the Stone House in town, built the Whetstone (Moorfoot Tavern) on Cumberland Street, Cross Guns on Sharrow Lane was also rebuilt. Did Tetley splash the cash on other Tetley pubs in Sheffield about that time?

 

6. Sadbrewer, Abbeyedges (good post btw). I was surprised you both didn’t mention Lowenbrau 1 2 3 (Loewenbraeu) in the Tetley section. Translated Loewenbraeu means Lionsbrew. The beer taps have a white and blue diamond design on them. The same design can be seen on the flag of the right wing German State of Bavaria, where Loewenbraeu comes from.

 

Anyroad, although a bitter drinker I have drank Loewenbraeu on a couple of occasions in England.. Broomhill Tavern, Mailcoach 1 2, in Sheffield. The stuff was too fizzy and tasted ghastly, its nothing like the proper stuff sold in Germany. Also, in England the head of the drink disappears within a few seconds. In Germany, the head stays all the way down to the bottom of the glass. I remember having the same problem at the pub Devonshire Cat, with Becks beer on draft. Years later the same problem at Wetherspoons. For what reason(s) does the head of beer disappear so quickly? Head less beer is tasteless. Brits tend to sup owt as long as its wet!

 

7. In my previous post I mentioned the Pomona, Home Ales and Youngers, continued in point 21.

 

8. I’ve always had the impression Gold Label Barley Wine was a unique Whitbread concoction. I recently saw in an old ‘60s film, a poster on a pub wall advertising Truman’s Barley Wine. Have other breweries brewed Barley Wine?

 

9. Mid-90s in the Stag,Psalter Lane, I drank Gold Label Lager , brewed by Whitbread, was this lager available city wide in Whitbread’s pubs?

 

10. Flowers Ale and Hogshead beer: are these two beers still on the go? I once supped a few pints of flowers in the Union pub (Whitbread) at Nether Edge. It was the time Paddy and Beryl ran it. A jokey topic of conversation ensued as to whether Flowers should be pronounced…as in ‘bunch of flowers’, or whether it should be pronounced…as a river (flows) flow-ers, after all the beer flows from the beer tap (pump) LOL. Anyway, flowers and Hogs head beer I espied on beer pumps in the Carrol White / John Mills ‘60s film – Dulcima (filmed in Gloucestershire). The pub had the Whitbread sign hanging outside.

 

 

A little anecdote, an undeniable truth:

 

One early evening mid 90s in the Union pub Paddy was serving. I stood at the bar wearing a Whitbread Trophy tie and ordered (requested is a better word) a pint of Whitbread Trophy. Having passed me my pint, Paddy noticed my tie. Politely speaking but with a derisory look, Paddy said .. “that tie is nothing special”. Pointing to his Martell tie, he said .. “this is a special tie, only the ‘big people’ at Whitbread gets these ties”. There was not much I could say to that.

 

Three days later I was in the pub again and Paddy was serving again. He served me my pint, and glanced at my tie. Paddy blinked several times then his gob dropped, his face reddened and he looked somewhat uneasy. The sight of my Martell tie knotted in Windsor fashion stunned him. Later in the evening Paddy asked me how I had come into possession of the tie. I told him a lie by saying I had ‘big people’ friends at Whitbread. LOL.

 

At the time of the above happening I had a few brewery ties. I now have scores of different design brewery ties. I may post one day as to why I had acquired them. A longish story.

 

11. Home Ales: a year or so ago I was at a second-hand book shop. The shopkeeper had 2 cartons full of books… £1 a book. I found a thick-ish pamphlet type book History of Home Ales. My heart skipped a beat then I picked up the book, a massive disappointment…the pages were fully stuck together. He’d obviously had the cartons stood outside the shop on a day it had rained.

 

12. Guinness: does anybody remember Red Guinness or Guinness Red? I recall supping this in the York Hotel at Broomhill. Dennis was running the pub late 1990. At that time Guinness had a ‘gimmick’ tap / pump…A pint of Guinness poured in 30 seconds, remember that? I used to like Guinness in the early 70s. The beer was nowhere near as cold as today’s Guinness. The Guinness seemed to have more body, and a slight after –burnt taste in those days.

 

13. Late 1990s? Does anybody recall the time when 2 pint measure beer glasses came out. They didn’t seem to catch on…and were gone.

 

14. Some pubs Grappler may know: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

 

15. Some more cuttsie pubs may know 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

 

16. I have worked out that since 1970 over 60 pubs have closed down within a 15-20 minutes brisk walk from Sheffield Town Hall. Tragic!!

 

17 I recently called in at Laycock’s on Archer Road. The fellow (a Spaniard, serving at the bar kindly showed me around the pub and also gave info regarding membership. £15 per year. During my time there I downed a few pints of Magnet. Who brews Magnet these days? Btw non-members pay 50p more than members for pints. Fair deal. I was also told that Laycock’s club used to sell Mansfield Ales.

 

18. The Phoenix (Tetley) stood at the junction of Union Street / Charles Street. I occasionally called in at this pub in the early 70s when I’d supped-up at the Minerva (Whitbread) and was on my way to the Nelson (Whitbread) on Furnival Gate. The Phoenix was run by the Polytechnic at the time. There used to be a Phoenixin flight on the bottle-green tiling on the outside wall of the pub. Howden House now stands on the site.

 

19. Party time

 

20. Double Diamond. 1 and 2 3

 

21. Continued from point 7. I often drank in the Pomona during the second part of the 90s. I believe Scottish & Newcastle brewery had the pub at the time. Beer served among others possibly after Scottish & Newcastle were, Theakston’s and Webster (?). The cheapest bitter they had was called Scotch. At another date I may write an anecdote about when Dave Berry (singer) and I were in the Pomona listening to a Jazz group. We had been earlier up the road at the Slug and Fiddle pub.

 

22. The Gladstone’s 1 2 on St James St, later called Ferret and Trouser leg (now Church rock bar) was run by S&N

 

23. The Fat Cat 1 2 on Alma St was previously known as the Alma. A Stones house. After Stones the pub sold Theakstons and later became a real ale pub.

 

24. My favourite pub early-mid 70s 1 2

 

25. The Ansell’s Opticians I mentioned in my O.P far left.

 

26. More Whitbread. 1 2 3

 

27. It wouldn’t be fair to leave out Stones.

 

28. Or Mansfields. 1 2

 

29. Or Wards 1 2 3

 

30. Or Sam Smith’s 1 2

 

31 Or Tetley 1 2

 

32. Some more ties.

 

33. Higson’s

 

Hi Zakes.....thank you for your great posts...I'm enjoying reading them....not for one moment did I think you were trying to mislead ..apologies if my reply came across like that.

When I've chance I'll have a full read of the above and get back if I've anything to add.

 

---------- Post added 07-05-2018 at 20:33 ----------

 

Ansells were owned by Allied Brweries who also owned Tetleys. It follows geographically that Allied Breweries sold Ansells mainly in the West Midlands and Tetleys in the North. They had a keg beer which was Double Diamond and I think their lager was Skol.

 

John Smiths were owned by Courage including Watneys (take over 1970)..

 

Just to revisit this one...as you say John Smith's were owned by Courage...later owned by Imperial Tobacco....Watneys though were not part of that group in the 1970's but rather Grand Metropolitan .

[maggie007]

zakes i beg to differ the fiery fred at darnall was websters brewery not home ales

[sadbrewer]

zakes i beg to differ the fiery fred at darnall was websters brewery not home ales

 

It may have had Webster's at a later date, but Zakes is correct for the period of the late 70's early 80's, speaking as a veteran of many a pint there before it became a no-go zone.

[Ontarian1981]

I think you should write a book on the subject.

 

He just has LOL

[abbeyedges]

Zakes - another barley wine was made by Bass. Bass No. 1.

[sadbrewer]

Allied Breweries did Triple A barley wine.

Apparently Barley wines date back to the Napoleonic wars...due to the difficulty of importing Port, Sherry etc brewers were encouraged by Govt to fill the void with extremely strong beers.

[Robbiet]

Yes the 'Fiery Fred' officially opened by the man himself-cricketer Freddie Trueman-. And Hardy and Hanson's another Nottingham (shire) brewing outfit who's tastes didn't appeal to me, even drinking in Nottingham ! As for 'Higson's' (Liverpool) I still maintain that they had the 'King's Arms' on Commercial Street. Also, the 'Fiery Fred' didn't seem to last long, built on a new housing estate between Coleridge Road and Greenland Road seemed to disappear quick.

 

Kings Arms definitely Higson's

[Grappler]

 

14. Some pubs Grappler may know: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

 

 

Great pics Zakes, and yes I drank in all of them at one point or another mate, especially the John O'Gaunt

[zakes]

Did Ansell’s Brewery have any pubs in Sheffield?

 

Mixed Bag 3

 

1. Thanks Sadbrewer, Grapps and Abbeyedges.

 

2. The Cannon pub in town…and one of its (in)famous Knight-time customer’s. Lol.

 

3. Arbourthorne Hotel (Whitbread). In the early 70s I saw a band playing here… Wolves …they did an excellent rendition of Uriah Heep’s – Gypsy.

 

4. Storyette:

 

The Adephi stood on Tudor Way, formerly Arundel Street, and Sycamore Street. The Adephi 1 2 3 4 closed its doors for the final time in early springtime, in 1969. This was a very sad day for Yorkshire County Cricket Club followers, because YCCC had been formed at the Adelphi in 1863. For Sheffield United football supporters, it was a great day of celebration. There were innumerable parties, city-wide that evening. The Adelphi had vended Stones 2 Ales for many years. Stones bitter had good body and good taste, and was certainly better than today’s rip-off ‘real ales’ the snobs fawn over, and who are foolishly prepared to pay £10 a pint for. The Adelphi was to be demolished to make way for the building of Sheffield’s newest theatre…the breeze-blocked Crucible 1 2 3 4 5 6. Ugh.

 

The customership in the Adelphi was somewhat varied. People who had spent part of the day shopping at Fargate, Change Alley 1 2 3, Chapel walk and Cambridge Arcade 1 2 etc. Cinema goers, theatre goers, church goers, and the occasional person(s) who wandered in through the doors on a rainy day, due to not being in possession of a collapsible canopy. There were also courting couples who went in after having spent the early part of an evening mutually mankin’ in the dark shadows of nearby Cadman Lane. (rear of town hall through Archway. Others included…Dope-dealers, free-wheelers, pride-stealers, happy-feelers, home-needers wife-beaters…and the occasional book-reader.

 

Men from the building trade were also a plenty in the Adelphi. Joiners, brick layers, plasterers and general labourers came in search of fellow building site grafters. They were looking for future work, having finished working on now completed sites. These workers also toured other pubs and cafes, hoping to receive a tip as regards to working on a near-future building site. Alternatively, these salt-of-the-earth people would slope off to the labour exchange on West Street.

 

--

A happening that could be true. Once upon a time…I befound myself in the Adephi. It was during the early session (11.00-15:00) and I was an underage drinker. At the bar, I ordered (requested) a pint of Jungle Juice, paid in the region of 2 bob, then went to sit at a table by one of the windows facing the carp-ark on Tudor way. (Tudor 1 2 3 is the king).

 

Having made myself comfortable, I reached into my T.W.A. (Try Walking Across) travel bag. I withdrew a well-used book (borrowed from nearby Central Library), entitled Dr. Zhivago written by an author called Boris Plasteknek and began to read. I immediately got ‘into’ the story, which tempted me to go back to the bar to purchase a double Volgogradian Vodka…no ice. I resisted but had my Jungle Juice replenished.

 

Having re-sat myself at the window I continued to read my book. 18 minutes later the pubs main door opened, then shut with a bang. Into the pub arrived a man. The man was dressed in a smart grey coloured blazer, wore tie and collar, grey trousers, and he was wearing a cap that had a segmented pattern in various colours. The man’s feet were shod in roller skates. The man, who was diminutive, to say the least, then rolled up to the bar.

 

The frowning bar man at the bar, eyed the newcomer with half-closed suspicious eyes. The newcomer ordered (requested) a pint of best Jungle Juice. The barman poured the drink, but at the same time he was wondering...’how is it possible for a half-pint to drink a full-pint, surely he should be requesting (ordering) a…short. The diminutive newcomer then swigged from his pint glass. He wore a neutral facial expression of seriousness, and of guardedness.

 

A short time later (seven minutes) the pub door opening once again, to admit another man, this new fellow also ordered (requested) a pint of Jungle Juice at the bar. He was from the building trade. I had immediately noticed his boits had traces of gobbo and gunite on ‘em. A dead giveaway was his black donkey-jacket with large white lettering on the back…B.L. which meant brick layer (not Barry Lawson). The bricklayer wore no hard hat.

 

The new newcomer then acknowledged the former newcomer (now sat on a bar stool) and a quiet conversation ensued. Having conversed for a while, the diminutive roller skated man kindly bought the bricklayer another pint of Jungle Juice. After conversing a while (14 minutes longer) the bricklayer aggressed the pub. He was perhaps on his way to the Bricklayers Arms (Tetley) on Hereford Street, down near Moor bottom.

 

A short while (9 minutes) later, the man who was sat on the bar stool suddenly jumped down to the floor then began to skate around the pub. This skating man performed many skating movements with great aplomb…heels, grapevine, front-side air, half-cab air, air to fakie, fakie air, indy grab, toe jumps, toe loops, the salchow, lutz, the axel, the triple axel,…then finally the splits. I and the other 34 customers in the pub were highly amused by this unusual entertainment, and we loudly applauded, but the trunt of a bar man was far from being amused. The grim-faced bar man stepped from behind the bar and approached a big rough looking customer…a knuckler. They both conversed in quiet whispering manner. It seemed quite lucid to me that the breathless little skater was about to be ejected from the pub. It wouldn’t have been good for business to have slung the little bloke out through the front door, for passers-by would be witness to the ejection, then word would spread by wild-fire that the pub was a rough ‘ole. Instead, it was decided to dispose of the skater via the back-door. As the knuckler was one-handedly lifting his hapless victim off the floor, I packed my Dr Zhivago book back into my T.W.A. travel-bag, then withdrew my trusty, but not rusty, Kodak Brownie camera. The skater was then carried out through the back door. The sneering knuckler returned, back into the pub moments later. I went out into the backyard, then took a photograph.

 

--

After the Adelphi had finally cloised down, the landlord was moved to another pub. The Toll Gate, in Pistmoor.

Edited May 28, 2018 by zakes

[St Petre]

Did Ansell’s Brewery have any pubs in Sheffield?

 

Mixed Bag 3

 

1. Thanks Sadbrewer, Grapps and Abbeyedges.

 

2. The Cannon pub in town…and one of its (in)famous Knight-time customer’s. Lol.

 

3. Arbourthorne Hotel (Whitbread). In the early 70s I saw a band playing here… Wolves …they did an excellent rendition of Uriah Heep’s – Gypsy.

 

4. Storyette:

 

The Adephi stood on Tudor Way, formerly Arundel Street, and Sycamore Street. The Adephi 1 2 3 4 closed its doors for the final time in early springtime, in 1969. This was a very sad day for Yorkshire County Cricket Club followers, because YCCC had been formed at the Adelphi in 1863. For Sheffield United football supporters, it was a great day of celebration. There were innumerable parties, city-wide that evening. The Adelphi had vended Stones 2 Ales for many years. Stones bitter had good body and good taste, and was certainly better than today’s rip-off ‘real ales’ the snobs fawn over, and who are foolishly prepared to pay £10 a pint for. The Adelphi was to be demolished to make way for the building of Sheffield’s newest theatre…the breeze-blocked Crucible 1 2 3 4 5 6. Ugh.

 

The customership in the Adelphi was somewhat varied. People who had spent part of the day shopping at Fargate, Change Alley 1 2 3, Chapel walk and Cambridge Arcade 1 2 etc. Cinema goers, theatre goers, church goers, and the occasional person(s) who wandered in through the doors on a rainy day, due to not being in possession of a collapsible canopy. There were also courting couples who went in after having spent the early part of an evening mutually mankin’ in the dark shadows of nearby Cadman Lane. (rear of town hall through Archway. Others included…Dope-dealers, free-wheelers, pride-stealers, happy-feelers, home-needers wife-beaters…and the occasional book-reader.

 

Men from the building trade were also a plenty in the Adelphi. Joiners, brick layers, plasterers and general labourers came in search of fellow building site grafters. They were looking for future work, having finished working on now completed sites. These workers also toured other pubs and cafes, hoping to receive a tip as regards to working on a near-future building site. Alternatively, these salt-of-the-earth people would slope off to the labour exchange on West Street.

 

--

A happening that could be true. Once upon a time…I befound myself in the Adephi. It was during the early session (11.00-15:00) and I was an underage drinker. At the bar, I ordered (requested) a pint of Jungle Juice, paid in the region of 2 bob, then went to sit at a table by one of the windows facing the carp-ark on Tudor way. (Tudor 1 2 3 is the king).

 

Having made myself comfortable, I reached into my T.W.A. (Try Walking Across) travel bag. I withdrew a well-used book (borrowed from nearby Central Library), entitled Dr. Zhivago written by an author called Boris Plasteknek and began to read. I immediately got ‘into’ the story, which tempted me to go back to the bar to purchase a double Volgogradian Vodka…no ice. I resisted but had my Jungle Juice replenished.

 

Having re-sat myself at the window I continued to read my book. 18 minutes later the pubs main door opened, then shut with a bang. Into the pub arrived a man. The man was dressed in a smart grey coloured blazer, wore tie and collar, grey trousers, and he was wearing a cap that had a segmented pattern in various colours. The man’s feet were shod in roller skates. The man, who was diminutive, to say the least, then rolled up to the bar.

 

The frowning bar man at the bar, eyed the newcomer with half-closed suspicious eyes. The newcomer ordered (requested) a pint of best Jungle Juice. The barman poured the drink, but at the same time he was wondering...’how is it possible for a half-pint to drink a full-pint, surely he should be requesting (ordering) a…short. The diminutive newcomer then swigged from his pint glass. He wore a neutral facial expression of seriousness, and of guardedness.

 

A short time later (seven minutes) the pub door opening once again, to admit another man, this new fellow also ordered (requested) a pint of Jungle Juice at the bar. He was from the building trade. I had immediately noticed his boits had traces of gobbo and gunite on ‘em. A dead giveaway was his black donkey-jacket with large white lettering on the back…B.L. which meant brick layer (not Barry Lawson). The bricklayer wore no hard hat.

 

The new newcomer then acknowledged the former newcomer (now sat on a bar stool) and a quiet conversation ensued. Having conversed for a while, the diminutive roller skated man kindly bought the bricklayer another pint of Jungle Juice. After conversing a while (14 minutes longer) the bricklayer aggressed the pub. He was perhaps on his way to the Bricklayers Arms (Tetley) on Hereford Street, down near Moor bottom.

 

A short while (9 minutes) later, the man who was sat on the bar stool suddenly jumped down to the floor then began to skate around the pub. This skating man performed many skating movements with great aplomb…heels, grapevine, front-side air, half-cab air, air to fakie, fakie air, indy grab, toe jumps, toe loops, the salchow, lutz, the axel, the triple axel,…then finally the splits. I and the other 34 customers in the pub were highly amused by this unusual entertainment, and we loudly applauded, but the trunt of a bar man was far from being amused. The grim-faced bar man stepped from behind the bar and approached a big rough looking customer…a knuckler. They both conversed in quiet whispering manner. It seemed quite lucid to me that the breathless little skater was about to be ejected from the pub. It wouldn’t have been good for business to have slung the little bloke out through the front door, for passers-by would be witness to the ejection, then word would spread by wild-fire that the pub was a rough ‘ole. Instead, it was decided to dispose of the skater via the back-door. As the knuckler was one-handedly lifting his hapless victim off the floor, I packed my Dr Zhivago book back into my T.W.A. travel-bag, then withdrew my trusty, but not rusty, Kodak Brownie camera. The skater was then carried out through the back door. The sneering knuckler returned, back into the pub moments later. I went out into the backyard, then took a photograph.

 

--

After the Adelphi had finally cloised down, the landlord was moved to another pub. The Toll Gate, in Pistmoor.

 

Was the former landlord of the Adelphi John Costello ? who en route to the Tollgate, Pitsmoor, may have kept the Cossack on Howard Street ?