CoffeeBeer >> Pint Pleasures >> Previous Beer Columns >> Two Sheffield Pubs

Previous Pint Pleasures - January 7, 2002

Rose & Crown, Stour Lane, Wadsley, Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Corner Pin, 231-233 Carlisle Street East, Atlas, Sheffield, South Yorkshire

As do all English cities, the Yorkshire city of Sheffield features a wide range of pubs for all tastes and classes. On the western edges of the city, where quiet semi-rural neighbourhoods stretch out toward the Peak District, there is a quiet little pub on a dead-end hill which harkens back to the earlier days of public houses. The 150-year-old Rose & Crown, situated in Wadsley within walking distance of Hillsborough and Wisewood, was extended 35 years ago when adjoining cottages were added. The pub now consists of two bars on three levels. The room at the top is the no-smoking restaurant room. Down a level is the lounge bar, and at the bottom of the stairs is the public bar. And the lower you go the cheaper the beer gets. When we first stopped in on a Friday afternoon and ordered pints of Barnsley Bitter, the landlady said that because it was Happy Hour (2:00-5:00 Monday-Friday), if we stepped down into the public bar our pints would be only £1.25 each! This seemed most agreeable to us; besides, the public bar looked like the place to be, full of locals of all sorts including the elderly, the young, the canine and the feline. When we returned in the evening for dinner we sat upstairs in the lounge bar where we enjoyed the most exquisitely wonderful Fisherman's Pies, complete with potatoes and vegetables, for only £3.25 each. At these prices we could afford the slightly more expensive pints; but after our meal we retreated once again into the friendly public bar.

Our pints of Barnsley Bitter (3.8% ABV, Barnsley Brewing Co. Ltd, Barnsley, South Yorkshire) were so wonderfully soothing after three days spent in gridlock hell hunting for a house to rent. Casting aside our inevitable decision of where to live and which place to rent, we lingered over a couple more pints. Although it would be impossible for me to say what my overall favourite English beer is, I think I can definitely claim that Barnsley Bitter is my favourite session beer. It tastes good, it tastes soothing, it tastes wonderfully robust, it tastes delightfully bitter, it tastes healthy and nutritious, and it tastes fun. What more do you need in life?

In the Rose & Crown there are four clocks on the walls: one in the restaurant room, one in the lounge bar, and two in the public bar. Although none of these clocks agree as to the correct time, three are within a few minutes of each other, whereas one never veers from 3:51, which means it's correct at least twice a day. Aside from the different prices, does this mean the bars are in different time zones as well?

In an industrial area north of the city centre, surrounded by old steel works, lies a unique entity. Seen from the outside the Corner Pin, which dates from 1840, looks like a relic from the time when steelworkers flooded the area, filling the local pubs at lunchtime with tales of their working days. Surprisingly enough, even though many of the surrounding factories now lie dormant, the Corner Pin is still a busy place, with people from all over coming to enjoy the very basic but friendly ambience. We happened upon the place by accident, when the gridlock-weary Honda's radiator blew a hole and we needed to while away a couple hours while repairs took place. Our pints of Tetley's Bitter (3.7% ABV, Carlsberg-Tetley Brewing Co., Leeds, West Yorkshire) were welcome and very relieving. For someone like myself who's developed a genuine phobia of southern Tetley's, it's so surprising and strange to actually enjoy a Tetley's! This pint proved to me why it's a northern beer and should never be drunk south of that infamous Watford Gap.

The food menu at the Corner Pin is impressive, especially the prices. They serve around eighty lunches every Sunday, all priced at a mere £3.00. On this December afternoon I noticed a sign-up list for an upcoming children's Christmas party. The ages of the "children" who'd signed up ranged from 3, 6, and 7 to 44 and 56. Sounds like a fun party if you ask me. Will they play Pin The Tail On The Old Geezer? We also received some good advice from two of the regulars on local B&Bs and areas to look for rentals. Even on a quiet afternoon this is a friendly, welcoming place.