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The Picture - An aerial view of the White Hart from 1962. Its history goes way back to 1377, pre-dating Penistone Grammar School's beginnings by 15 years. It will have been rebuilt at various times but is still the oldest continuous drinking parlour in Penistone. It is currently called the 'New Inn' but even the 'New Penny' of decimal coinage lost its newness over time and was renamed. Locals will stubbornly continue to call it the White Hart, as we do. See also the White Hart history page.
This Page
This page draws together snippets from a wide range of sources (see page-bottom). It is not the definitive list of local hostelries by a long chalk and there will be many gaps and inaccuracies but it could be the starting point for further research into what had always been an essential part of social life over the centuries.
You can be sure that beer and wine has a very long history in this country and the hard Yorkshire lads working the land or in factories would always enjoy a refreshing drink at the end of the working day. Also, given the poor drinking water supplies of the old days, it was often necessary to add beer to the available water to help purify it and make it safer to drink, as in 'Small Beer' which even children would drink. It was not strong enough to cause drunkenness but enough to reduce water-borne diseases such as cholera and parasites. As water was boiled as part of the beer-making process, that along with the yeast fermentation and consequent generation of alcohol helped to purify the actual drink. You might compare the addition of alcohol to drinking water to make it safer with the use of alcohol sanitisers against Covid-19. They were on to something in the old days.
Beer was for the masses but wine would be more for the wealthy as it was more likely imported. Of course, wine goes back to well before Roman times but was less available in the northern and colder climates where grapes could not thrive. The Magna Carta of 1215 standardised wine measures in England but, as Tony Hancock once said: "Did she die in vain?" Mead was a popular drink brewed from honey and goes back to the most ancient days. A Chinese vase from around 7,000 BC had traces of mead in it. In this country, it was mostly associated with the monasteries, which had bee-keepers to produce honey, mead and beeswax for sale. That was fine until the monasteries were dissolved between 1536 and 1541 by King Henry VIII. It was a revolutionary act which changed the landscape - and largely finished the supply of mead. It never came back.
Some Types of Beer
While you sit there deciding whether you are a 'half-full' or 'half-empty sort of person, I say "Are you going to sup that beer or what?"
In the 15th Century, there were three main types of drink outlets: Alehouses, Taverns and Inns.
Another way of looking at it is: Beerhouses supplied ordinary people with beer, Alehouses could sell more than just beer, Taverns also sold wine, perhaps for the more affluent customers, and Inns provided accommodation as well as food and drink. These days the names are chosen for effect rather than function and an Inn might not have any accommodation at all. At one time, an Inn would be required by law to provide overnight accommodation, food and drink to ensure the survival of the weary traveller.
The Alehouses Act
By 1552, the Alehouse Act required Alehouse keepers to be licenced for the sale of wines and spirits, by the local Justices. By 1729, the Justices would hold annual Brewster Sessions to licence retailers. The Beerhouse Act of 1830 allowed a householder to retail beer from their house, upon an annual payment of two Guineas = £2, 2shillings, which in modern UK money is £2 10pence. Many of these Public Houses were run by women. The annual payment had become a licence by 1860. Victualler' = A supplier of 'victuals' (food, drink or provisions). Pronounced 'Vittler' and 'Vittles' respectively.
You might be surprised to learn which familiar local shops had been beerhouses, in the table below. The Penistone area had plenty of watering holes and at least two local breweries at one time (see bottom of page) but several new drinking places arrived after the railway opened in 1846 and the ironworks some time later, with the consequent rapid increase in local population. Before that, the brewing industry had a boost during the 1820s and 1830s by tax reductions. Happy times.
As there was not much else in the way of accessible entertainment, local beer houses thrived in those days, although there had always been sporadic entertainments such as music and plays. Annual fairs were also big events in rural areas. A wide range of activities were based on the public houses. There are old records of auctions and public meetings before the days of the Town Hall and Community Centre.
On occasions, public houses were used to contain arrested criminals, to act as temporary operating theatres after serious accidents or even to hold the consequent inquests. Without the public houses, many of the clubs, societies, unions and brass bands might never have happened. Links at the bottom of this page explain the background of public house names and traditions in England.
The Beerhouse Act of 1830
This Act passed in Parliament allowed licenced 'Beer Houses' to proliferate without the need for magistrates to endorse applications, although the magistrates would still control licencing. The existing 'Ale Houses' could then sell other liquors as well. The Act regulated the trade which had begun to thrive as easier travel on turnpike roads and later the railways led to a greater need for Inns and public houses. It also followed some tax reductions which must have helped the trade.
Hostelries Before and After 1822
Many local beerhouses had been and gone by 1822, as listed in various old Directories and almanacks, and the reduction in taxes around this decade might have been to throw a lifeline to struggling businesses. It is interesting to note that some old familiar names are still familiar because they continued in business to modern times. To people 'of a certain age' several others are also familiar such as: the Black Bull, Thurlstone; the Rose and Crown, Ingbirchworth and Rose and Crown, Penistone.
This list appeared in a Penistone Almanack of around 1877, referring to the listing in the 1822 Baines Directory of those hostelries which were open at the time:
The 1953 Penistone Almanack includes the following beerhouses as existing in 1822 but which had later disappeared:
White's Directory 1837
Looking at 'Inns and Taverns' under 'Professions and Trades', these names are listed:
Hannah Mosley at the Fleece, Abel Marsh at the Horns Tavern, Joseph Bedford at the Old Crown, Jonathan Brown at the Rose & Crown Inn, John Barrow at the Spread Eagle, Wm. Hepplestone at the White Hart and Ann Green was still at the Black Swan, Bridge End.
Penistone Off-Licences
The Slater's 1855 Directory lists four outlets as retailers of beer but without addresses. These were Bejamin Armitage and Joseph Shaw in Penistone, and William Fieldsend and Mark Hollingworth for Thurlstone. Listed at Brewery History, Spring Vale Post Office and Off-licence sold products from Wilson's Parkside Brewery of Sheffield In 1898
A notable retailer of beer in Penistone was Wiseman's shop opposite the top of Unwin Street, now a Turkish barber shop. It was the Prince of Wales public house in the old days (see table) but changed into an off-licence and food shop in 1873 when Lancelot 'Lance' Gibson Burdett bought it. Robert Hodgson Wiseman took it over in 1822 and turned it into Wiseman's off-licence and grocers. It continued for as Wiseman's shop until perhaps the 1990s (not sure) when it changed hands with unrelated owners who continued to use the Wiseman name.
The Big Table
This is the main section and is from a wide selection of sources, some of which might conflict.
| The Pictures - Only the Rose and Crown in these pictures would be remembered in the present day. The Penistone area had a lot of pubs. | ||||
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| Horns Inn - now the 'Balti House' |
Commercial Inn - now 'Caroline's Hair Studio' |
The Rose and Crown became Pennine Law offices |
The Prince of Wales became Wiseman's |
The Fleece Inn - now 'Images' and 'Barista-Cucina' |
Penistone Streets
Please note that the namimg of streets and house numbering in our area was a bit haphazard until the Post Office sorted it out November 1881, so there will be some historic changes. Market Street/High Street was called 'Penistone Street' or 'Town Street' in old books and early almanacks, before the official names were ascribed. In a Penistone sketch map about a water course from 1771, what we now call Market Street was 'Market Place' (more or less outside the Old Crown) and further along was 'Town Street.' In the present day, Market Place is the area outside the church lichgate and the bus shelter.
The current Market Street and High Street are a continuation of the same street. The end nearest Clark's Chemist is Market Street and High Street begins at Gregg's (No. 1 High Street) opposite Park Avenue. Changes to buildings and roads took place over time which will have blurred the natural road name boundaries and it looks as though some house numbers changed over time. In the UK, the houses are given odd numbers on one side and even numbers on the other, with the numbers starting from the end nearest the town or village centre.
| Old Name | Now | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| An Alehouse Closed 1844 |
? | By Stottercliff, Thurlstone |
An alehouse of unknown name was kept by James Bradbury. It was located on the site of Rose Cottage, which is on the end of Stottercliff Road, Thurlstone, near the bad bend. |
| Angel Inn | Grange Farm | Ingbirchworth | This one appears in Mrs Margaret Marsh's archive, which says it was 'Known as Angel Inn in 1624, with a sundial over the door, name Mr Micklethwaite' and also mentioned in 'A Further History of Penistone' by the WEA (Penistone Library) which explains further. It served the packhorse traffic but became a coaching stop for the Sheffield-Halifax coach when wheeled traffic took over. The Hazlehead diarist Cpt Adam Eyre had been a frequent visitor to the Angel but his favourite hostelry was at Catshaw and another one at Swinden Walls off the Boardhill road. |
| The Angel | ? | Woodhead | No details except that it was demolished. |
| Bank House | ? | Thurlstone | This had a passing reference in 'A Further History of Penistone' by the WEA (Penistone Library). As with all of the Thurlstone hostelries, it served traders on the pack-horse route which went over Hartcliff and via the Lady Cross to Rotherham. Traders considered Rotherham to be more important than Sheffield in the old days. |
| Barrel Inn later Club Inn |
Mustard Pot later Ye Olde Mustard Pot |
Midhopestones | This was built in 1760 as a farm on Midhope Hall Lane but it soon became The Barrel Inn in 1780. It was popular with local hunt members who called it 'The Club.' Accordingly, Joseph Siddons renamed it The Club Inn. It kept that name for more than a century and within living memory. It was also popular with farmers until its fortunes waned after perhaps the 1970s or 1980s (some pictures on Stocksbridge Times Past). In recent times it became a gastropub as The Mustard Pot and retained traditional features such as stone-flagged floors, oak beams and open, log-burning fireplaces. More recently it was renamed 'Ye Olde Mustard Pot (Facebook) as a hotel and bar. Their new website has dropped the history page which had this list of innkeepers:
'... (William) Kay had a great objection, and often refused at hunt meetings to admit amongst the hunters anyone who could not sing a hunting song, and this may account in a great measure why amongst those who began to follow the hounds in his time so many came to know and to be able to sing the old songs of the hunt, and thereby add to the pleasures of the hunters in meeting after the day's sport was over.' The old Mustard Pot URL can be found on the Wayback Machine. Sample History Page from 2004. |
| Barrel Inn | ? | 25 High St. | Described as The Barrel Inn, Rosemary Topping, Top o' the Hill, 25 High Street. Kept by Isaac Leigh. This might have been on the site of the former car spares shop, now a dwelling (a few houses to the left of the current Library). You can make out where an archway passed though to the rear. The house numbers might have changed at one time. |
| Bay Horse | Later the Algy Arms, currently Boshaw Trout |
Hade Edge | This had for a long time been the Bay Horse until a whole swathe of posh executive houses were build close by. Its customers had previously been mostly drawn from Dickenson's yogurt factory just down the road. The Bay Horse also had a football team. It has been said that a nearby band room was built by the factory owner for Hade Edge Band. The former Bay Horse and later Algy Arms is now called Boshaw Trout after its proximity to Boshaw Reservoir at Hade Edge. According to 'What Pub', The Algy had been 'Named after a dear friend who, in turn, was nicknamed after a character from the Biggles novels.' And here's me thinking it was named after blue-green algae on the reservoir. |
| Birch Tree Inn | Closed 1822 | Behind the Spread Eagle |
This was open around 1810 and kept by Benjamin and John Rayner and was popular with farmers and cattle dealers. Ben was also a local farmer. It was located behind the Spread Eagle in Marsden Square (an area which acquired a new name after Penistone 1 opened). The 1897 Penistone Almanack says it 'closed about 73 years ago' which, being written in 1896, might place its closure in 1823. It is possible that The Birch Tree was the forerunner to 'The Loft' cafe building. |
| Black Bull | Demolished | Thurlstone | From the Thurlstone village trail booklet, it was built between 1812 and 1822. John Wainwright is the keeper in Baines' 1822 Directory. William Earnshaw is keeper in Slater's 1855 Directory. George Wainwright is keeper in the 1857 West Riding Post Office Diectory. It was run by Mr Tetley in the 1980s. Being on the main Manchester road, with heavy goods traffic, vibration from the road caused damage over time and the building was latterly encased in a 'steel corset' to limit any further damage, probably in the 1980s. The venue fell into decline in the 1990s and closed, later demolished. It always looked to be a popular pub. The site is now occupied by a row of houses. |
| Black Rag | ? | Thurlstone-ish | Beerhouse located on the South side of the road between Thurlstone and Millhouse. No further details but its name suggests a connection with Durrans Blacking factory nearby. Its location is like the Brass Rapper, below, which raises the question of it being the same place at a different time. |
| Blacksmith's Arms | Current | Lee Lane, Millhouse Green |
Lee Lane is the Holmfirth road and this pub and the school are close to the junction with the main road. From their 2022 website: 'The Blacksmiths Arms, one of the oldest buildings in Millhouse Green, was built almost 200 years ago and originally incorporated a blacksmith's forge, serving the local farmers using the road between Penistone and Manchester, now known as the A628 Woodhead Road.' James Whitaker was listed as victualler in an 1822 Directory, White's 1838 Gazetteer, Slater's 1855 Directory and Baines' 1855 Directory and again in the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory, in 'Millhouses.' In 1888 the landlord of two years, Harry Hey, shot dead his domestic servant Margaret Hill, while suffering from delirium tremens (DTs, an effect of withdrawing from alcohol). He was found guilty at Leeds Assizes of 'Wilful murder while in a state of unsound mind.' After treatment and upon recovery, he moved to Stocksbridge. The 'Arms' part of a pub's title is often heraldic but, as in this case, it can also apply to a profession, as in a guild. Blacksmith's Arms. |
| Black Swan | Replaced by The Bridge, then 'the bridge' which is still open. |
By Penistone Bridge | Ann Green (Nanny Green) listed as victualler in the 1822 Baines Directory, followed by Amos Green in the 1855 Baines Directory and Slater's 1855 Directory. In 1865, Amos Green removed from the old Black Swan to a 'New Black Swan' which he had built next door, later to become the Bridge Inn. He is also listed as the keeper in the Post Office 1857 Directory 'and Blacksmith.' Penistone Bridge was rebuilt in 1866, which might explain the name-change around that time. The new inn was described as 'in every way superior to the old one' and 'more commodious.' The old one would be somewhere near the current car park to the right of the Bridge Inn. Its licence transfer was authorised at Barnsley Court House. The following year, an inquest was held on Edward Laycock, following an accident at the old Penistone Railway Station (near where St Mary's Roundabout is now), at Ann Green's 'Bridge Inn'. What Amos Green had originally called the New Black Swan when applying for a licence was then named The Bridge Inn or Hotel, after its proximity to Penistone Bridge. More recently, 'the bridge' (without capital letters) received a completely new interior in the 2000s. See the White Hart history page which has some aerial views of the Bridge Inn. See also the Bridge Inn tour page. |
| Blue Ball Inn | Formerly Waggon and Horses, later the Royal British Legion, now flats. |
Thurlstone | Left side of the climbing road from the River Don bridge (Z-bend) into Thurlstone. From Marlene Marshall, Facebook (Penistone Archive Group) it had formerly been the Waggon and Horses but various directories give the Blue Ball a long pedigree. For the Waggon and Horses (not Blue Ball), John Sanderson was listed as victualler in White's 1838 gazetteer (calling it the Blue Bell), Baines' 1855 Directory, Slater's 1855 Directory and the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory, also listed as a farmer. From the 1881 Penistone Almanac it was Mr William Lake's. From a list of 27 Brook & Co. pubs, it was acquired June 1870 by Thomas Bottomly Brook and re-sold in February 1872. Post WWII, the landlord was Albert Newton, father of Albert 'Ab' Newton who had been a Burma Campaign veteran and grandfather to Barbara Newton who passed this information to me (many thanks Barbara). The Blue Ball was the local Home Guard HQ during the war. It later became the British Legion for our district but closed around 1960 and became derelict. According to the 'Penistone and Stocksbridge Express' of 1935, the Royal British Legion Club moved to Penistone and opened in the former White Bear Inn on 5th June 1926. The derelict building in Thurlstone was renovated and converted into flats (possibly late 1960s or early 1970s) and a New Zealander took it over (name unknown). The name 'Skyliner' in stick-on gold lettering was visible on glass above the door, as it had been the owner's Citizen's Band 'handle.' He lived there from the 1970s but died in violent circumstances in the 1980s. In fact, 'Skyliner' had been a controversial figure on CB radio, supporting as he did the Falklands campaign, but for the Argentinian side. He argued long and hard in favour of their claim to the islands. Sorting out ownership of the building after his death must have been a real nightmare. After again becoming derelict for many years, in the summer of 2017 the building was extensively renovated and a 'To Let' sign went up. |
| Border Hill House Later Dog & Partridge |
Dog and Partridge - Current |
Variously spelt Bord(er) Hill or Boardhill |
An important stopping place on the old salter's pack-horse trade route over the moors connecting Lancashire and Cheshire with Yorkshire towns and cities. A Turnpike Road was constructed between 1732 to 1741, connecting Rotherham with Manchester and replacing parts of the old saltway. Horses were changed here when horse-drawn coaches were the norm. As a farmhouse/alehouse, Benjamin Harrap was listed as keeper in 1822 Baines Directory. Charles Cheetham is keeper in Slater's 1855 Directory. It was shown on an 1850 Ordnance Survey map as the 'Border Hill House' but the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory lists it as the Dog and Partridge, kept by George Cheetham. Mis-named the 'Gun and Partridge' in a Sheffield paper of 1879, the paper reported its keeper Thomas Beever having died there 10th March 1879 after an long-time illness ultimately confined him to bed. From the Dog and Partridge website: 'Tom died here, aged 71 in 1879, his widow remained with her three sons as they had now 100 acres to farm and young Tom was now the gamekeeper living nearby at Swindon Lodge. (The lodge can be seen from the carpark of the pub and in the summer months adorns the most beautiful pink Hydrangea).' And: 'Tom, described as the innkeeper, gamekeeper and farmer of 90 acres, lived with his wife Betty and their three sons Tom, Edward and Ben. Mary Thurstone was a 17-year-old servant.' And 'Prizefighting was popular, being close to the border it was easy to move to different counties depending on which area the police was sent.' More from their website below. Tom was gamekeeper to Sir Lionel Pilkington (Jan 1707 – 11 Aug 1778), who was an MP and 5th Baronet of Stanley. Thomas resided at Lady Cross Lodge on the Pilkington estate near Salters Brook before removing to another shooting box near Langsett on the same estate. It is not clear when he became keeper of the D&P but he moved in soon after the pub came into the hands of Sir Lionel. Thomas was born in Thurlstone where his father John lived and he married Elizabeth Bagshaw of Fiddler's Green by whom he had seven children (five sons, two daughters). A 1908 photograph shows the sign above the door as: 'Dog & Partridge Inn, Joseph G Turner, Licenced Retailer of Wines, Spirits, Beer and Tobacco.' The D & P was a proper hunting and shooting place used to host sporting events on the moors, and sometimes of dubious legality. Again from their website: 'Situated on the old medieval salt way route, this isolated Inn has a history that can be traced back to the Elizabethan period. Originally a farmhouse and alehouse, supplying shelter and refreshment for travelers crossing the hostile moors of the Pennines. Originally known as Border Hill House owned by the Gothard family, the Inn became known as the Dog and Partridge on receipt of its first licence in 1740. Since that time it has been under the ownership of many local land-owning families such as the Pilkingtons of Chevet Hall who still own the surrounding grouse moors today.' And: 'In 1919 the inn was sold by Sir Thomas Pilkington to the Old Albion Brewery of Sheffield and later in 1964 Bass Brewery.' In 1981, it was the birthplace of Penistone CB Club (originally 'Genital City Breakers Club') but the club moved swiftly to the Wentworth Arms and then the Rose and Crown. In 'Haunted Stories': 'The Dog and Partridge is reputedly visited by ghosts from the past. The most frequent ghost is said to be one William Turner who was the Landlord of this establishment from 1917-1923. People often remark that they have witnessed an old man sitting in the easy chair next to the fire. The pub was used as a temporary mortuary in the past, bodies were brought in from the moors and nearby areas awaiting removal by the authorities.'It continues to thrive to this day on the busy A628 road, towards the Woodhead pass. See also Langsett Parish Council and Stocksbridge History site (outlying areas). |
| Brass Rapper |
Nr Thurlstone | A beerhouse located on the South side of the road between Thurlstone and Millhouse. No further details but its location is like the Black Rag, above, which raises the question of it being the same place with a different name. | |
| Bridge Inn | Current but lower case 'bridge inn' |
By Penistone Bridge (over the Don) at Bridge End |
Directly next door to the White Hart and it followed on from an older Black Swan listed in the 1822 Baines Directory which continued until 1865 when Mr Amos Green had a new Inn built next door. He moved from the old Black Swan to what he called the 'New Black Swan' when applying for its licence and described the new house as 'in every way superior to the old one.' The next time it had a mention, it had been re-named the Bridge Inn or Bridge Hotel, named after Penistone Bridge across the road. Incidentally, Thurlstone Road was labelled 'Bawtree Lane' in a sketch map of 1800. Thomas Edward Batty is listed as keeping the Bridge Inn in Kelly's 1881 WR Directory, Vol2. Kelly's 1912 Directory has George Platts as keeper. It would not change substantially over the next century or more, although it later followed the trend of removing the dividing walls and making it more open. In 2003, it changed completely, after being closed for nearly two years. As 'the bridge' it had lost its capital letters and was reborn in a modern, sparse style with uncovered floors and television screens. Some topers called it a 'clinical' style at the time. See also the White Hart below. |
| Bridge Inn | Current | Thurgoland | Joseph Hammerton is listed as keeping this house in the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory. |
| Britannia | Children's nursery in 2017 |
Spring Vale | Thomas Haigh applied for the licence in 1864, which must have been the year it opened. he renewed it in 1865 but was opposed by Joseph Clarke of the Queen's Hotel (1862), just up the road, stating that there were six licenced houses within half a mile of the premises. The licence to Mr Haigh was granted. Spring Vale's houses, the Britannia and the Queen's Hotel were all built to accommodate the inrush of new workers with the arrival of the steelworks (see the Queen's Hotel below). Mrs Martha Silverwood is listed as victualler in Kelly's 1881 WR Directory. A Facebook question in 2018 was about who ran the pub in the 1980s. It led to a jumble of un-dated names. Michael Horn remembers Steve Round having it after Kenneth Crompton but without dates. Other names suggested after the Cromptons include: Fay and John, possibly Peter and Ann then two respondents remembered as Chris and Mavis Ronan, with Chris being Irish. He returned to Ireland upon giving up the pub. In the 1990s, the Britannia became home to Penistone Folk Club, run by local folk singer and instrumentalist, Chris McShane. The Britannia continued in its traditional style well into 2017 when signs went up for a children's nursery. An application to turn an upstairs room into a children's nursery had been rejected by Barnsley planners but this must have been resolved. Locals will remember a food van called Friar Tuck's parked in the small car park. |
| Church Alehouse ('Roebrook's house') |
Gone | HSBC | The old church ale-house would have been near the top of Church Street on land called 'Church Flatt Close.' It had three bays, a slated roof, swine-cote and garden. Matthew Roebuck was landlord in the reign of King Charles I (1625-1649). He kept his horse in stables at the top of St Mary's Street about where the former JT's furniture shop was (now Cristello's bar). In Matthew's time, it is likely that the pub regulars and boys from the Grammar School next door would enjoy cock-fighting in the nearby cock pit, which explains the name of Cockpit Lane. The soldier Adam Eyre used to drink there with his friend William Rich, referring to it in his diary as Roebuck's. On one occasion, upon returning from church he found seven pence and 'spent it at Roebuck's.' On a roughly-drawn map, 'View of the contested water course at Pennistone' dated 1749, 'Rawbrook House' is written on the approximate position of the current Arthouse Cafe, Church Street. There is a suggestion (book source lost) that the pub was rebuilt in the early 16th century, which would make it very old indeed. Its medieval inn floor, paved with cobbles, was discovered when the school terrace was built in 1856. |
| The Commercial | The Huntsman | Thurlstone | This was likely to have been built around the 1880s and was owned by the Brook and Co. Brewery in February 1884. It had a traditional wood-panelled bar (rather like The Albert in Huddersfield) and was pebble-dashed outside. From around 1928, Mr Lavender was landlord for 39 years until Mr Frank Harley took over from 1967 to 1975. At some point it was renovated and became the Huntsman. Stanley Kilka had the Huntsman in 1982 as he presented The Huntsman Shield to David Wray (9yrs old) as the most promising player for Thurlstone Brass Band. In the modern age, it is always a busy venue and serves notably good food on Sundays. For a time, the Huntsman was supplied and possibly owned or leased by HB Clark & Co of Wakefield. See also the Commercial section below. |
| Commercial Inn, later the Traveller's Inn |
Swallow's barber shop, now Carolina's Hairdresser's shop |
St Mary's St., Penistone | This was in the tall, narrow building, almost opposite to the current British Legion Club. In the 1860s - 1870s and probably much earlier. The Commercial was conveniently close to the old Penistone lock-up which was built in 1770 and unceremoniously demolished one Sunday in 2010. The pub had been a regular meeting place for pigeon shooters (aiming to kill the birds). As a matter of interest, one of the pigeon racers listed in an 1867 event was Mr Joseph Swallow of Crow Edge. In January 1871, Thomas William Milnes successfully applied to take over the licence from William Lake, who at the same time applied for the licence of the Blue Ball, Thurlstone. In October 1872, Thomas Milnes was charged with a breach of his licence by permitting drunkenness to take place. A man called Walker was 'so beastly drunk' that he could hardly sit on a pub bench. Witnesses were called to attest to the man not being drunk but the verdict was guilty. Mr Milnes was fined 20s with 12s costs (£1.60 in modern currency but equivalent to about £112). Thomas Milnes was still running the pub in 1879. Another landlord was George Milnes, whom we might presume was Thomas' son. It is not clear when it closed as a pub but an un-dated newspaper clipping named it as 'The Traveller's' just before it became the barber shop. For many years the building had been in the Swallow family as a gentlemen's hairdresser, first under Mr H Swallow and passed down, father to son, to the late Donald Swallow and reputed to have only one style, 'Short back and sides'. The shop had a bench seat in the style of a church pew, razor strops and a cabinet which held a mysterious 'something for the weekend', which older customers thought amusing. For many years, there was a red tub of Brylcreem in the otherwise empty window bottom, even long after it closed. Throughout the 2000s, the shop stood empty and boarded up until 2011 when Carolina's ladies' hairdresser moved in, addressed as 7 St Mary's Street. |
| Cranberry Inn | Farmhouse | Cranberry |
Cranberry Farm by Cranberry cross-roads, up the hill from Cubley Hall. This is on a cross-roads with Mortimer Road. Mrs Margaret Marsh's archive says it was used by drovers from Scotland. It was on the old pack horse route from Woodhead to Rotherham via Hartcliff. There had also been another beerhouse nearby at Bankhouse, on the 'Old Pack Horse Road' from Woodhead to Rotherham where 'the road continues past Doubting and Mossley farms to Cranberry Inn' (note from one of the old almanacks). |
| Crystal Palace | Current | Thurlstone | According to 'A Further History of Penistone' by the WEA (Penistone Library), it was built by Thomas Marsh, date not given. The actual Crystal Palace (Wiki) was built in Hyde Park, London for the Great Exhibition of 1851 and the Thurlstone pub is known to have had that name in 1860. The modern sign shows a representation of the London building. It was listed as a Brook and Co brewery's pub for November 1903. From a sign inside (seen in 2022), a list of landlords and landladies was drawn up by Mr Frank Spence (26/08/1920 - 12/01/2017). The public house opened in 1846. In 1860 Elizabeth Marsh took it over upon the death (aged 42) of her husband who was possibly the first landlord (first name not given). John Marsh followed in 1874. Richard Galliford has this information: 'In 1874 John Marsh became landlord of this pub. He was the founder of Sheffield Wednesday FC and Captain for many years of the Sheffield Football Association. He established the Thurlstone Crystal Palace FC and in doing so laid the foundation of Association Football in the area. Respect John Marsh and the Crystal Palace.' There is more about this in the Penistone Church FC Book available from the club. A 1907 photo on the Archive Group's Facebook shows a wedding gathering outside the pub with Samuel George Gregg (1849 - 1934) on the left and wife Mary Ann Gregg (1859 - 1933), with two daughters, Victoria and Catherine (the Bride). The Groom was Arthur Turner. The nameplate had 'Crystal Palace Hotel, SG Gregg, Licensed to Retail Foreign Spirits, Ale, Beer and Tobacco.' Landlords and Landladies: 1900 - Marsh; 1904 - Gregg; 1911 - Woffinden; 1913 - Glover; 1915 - Barret; 1916 - C Beaumont; 1942 - A Beaumont; 1957 - D Beaumont; 1962 - Pashley; 1962 - Pickering; 1977 - Haigh; 1981 - Williams; 1985 - Sanders; 1988 - Morfitts; 1991 - Coldwell; 1994 - Des and jane; 2000 - Tina and Elaine; 2003 - Kath and Bob; 2003 - Brearly; 2005 - Taylors; 2006 - Birch; 2010 to present day - Keith and Julie Riggett. It is still thriving as a traditional community pub and owned by its landlord/landlady. The Crystal now has the 'Kibble' micro-brewery using a 2½ barrel plant which came from the now-closed Hamelsworde Brewery and they usually have up to four of their own beers at the bar. |
| Cubley Hall | Current | Cubley | In the 18th century, this had been a moorland farm on the old pack-horse route. It was converted into a gentleman's residence with four acres of land during the reign of Queen Victoria. Mr GAB Lockley lived there in 1924, when he contributed funds towards a Westminster chime to the Penistone church clock which was being replaced that year. He married there in 1904 and his group photo can still be seen in the main room. Miss Florence Lockley is the resident ghost and probably his daughter, affectionately known as 'Flo' she has often been seen in a kindly way. From the 1930s until 1980, Cubley hall was a children's home (orphanage). John Wigfield and David purchased the mansion with redundancy money and transformed it into a comfortable hostelry with an outdoor play area. It opened as a free-house public house and gastropub in 1982 after a great deal of work lasting at least a year. It has proved a successful business and popular venue for weddings, offering everything from accommodation to the marriage service and reception. It also has a lovely wrought iron bandstand (sorry 'Garden Pavilion') in the well-kept garden. An adjacent barn was converted into a function room and carvery in the early 1990s. Cubley Hall is also used as a Voting Station and the base for the annual Boundary Walk. See Cubley Hall and the C Hall page. Also visit the Spooky Stories page for more about Flo during the children's home years. |
| Dog and Partridge | Bordhill | See Border Hill House, above. | |
| Dusty Miller | Houses | On the Lee Lane Junction |
This was a small public house in Millhouse Green on the junction of Manchester Road and Lee Lane, heading towards Bullhouse. In 1885, it was owned by the Brook and Co. brewery. On an old photograph, a sign over the door gave the keeper's name as Arthur Horner (Penistone Archives). From a small book by Vera Nicholson ('Upper Don Watermills' p.20), we discover that the Dusty Miller closed down around 1920 and was converted into housing. A photo on that page looks towards Lee Lane from Millhouse Green. It shows the former Dusty Miller (now houses) on the left of the road junction with the Blacksmith's Arms across the junction on the right. |
| Eastfield Inn | Eastfield | William Laycock is listed as a tailor and as keeping this house in the Thurgoland section of the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory. | |
| Fleece Inn Closed 1873 |
'Images' hairdresser and Barista-Cucina - a bar and cafe |
Penistone | Joshua Moseley was innkeeper in 1775 and a clock-maker. he was followed by William Moseley, who was also listed in an 1822 Penistone Directory as victualler and clock-maker. According to JND's worthy tome on the history of Penistone, Mosley clocks would still be found locally at the time of publication (1906). Benjamin Milnes was listed as victualler in Baines' 1855 Directory, Slater's 1855 Directory and the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory, in which he is also listed as a Sexton. According to a court case, Mark Fallas was landlord in 1864, when William and Mary Sanderson were charged with 'uttering two counterfeit coins' - a bad florin in the pub and another in a shop. A later Innkeeper, Adam Aspinall, was adjudged bankrupt in 1867 and William Spooner Mitchell took over. By September 1871 The Fleece was advertised 'to let' as a going concern, described as a fully-licenced public house and one of the oldest in town. It claimed to be doing good business in both beer and spirits. At about the same time, a Brewsters' Licencing Session at Barnsley Courthouse brought a charge against WS Mitchell of the Fleece, concerning an alleged breach of his excise licence. The feeling on the bench was to reduce the number of public houses in Penistone and the licence was suspended until a new tenant could be found and proper accommodation provided at the rear of the building. As an Inn it provided accommodation but apparently not of a good standard. In a police raid two months later, a number of topers were discovered and Mr Mitchell was charged with selling cider without a licence. His defence was that it wasn't cider and that it was a private house anyway that the police had no right to enter. The bench was somewhat sceptical but dismissed the case. By now there was no prospect of the licence being reinstated. In August 1872, its furniture and public house fixtures and fittings were put up for sale by auction. From a list of 27 Brook & Co. pubs, the Fleece Inn was acquired in December 1882 by Joseph Brook for Penistone's Brook & Co outlets. JN Dransfield said that it closed in 1873. The location was 24 Market Street, which is now Images hairdresser and for something like 18 years the Cherrydale Chinese take-away. It is now a bar and cafe. |
| Flouch Inn | Old Inn: Houses, Later Inn: Restaurant Now closed |
Flouch | This was intended to be called the 'New Inn' and stood in a partly-finished state for some years until it was completed and opened in 1827. According to Langsett Parish Council it began around 1820. George Heward built the house upon a piece of land he had purchased from Pemberton Mimes. He had a deformity called 'slouch lip' (or hare lip), which by the usual process of corruption led to it being called something like 'the slooch' which further led to the Flouch name. Joseph Hinchliff is listed as keeping the Flouch Inn and a farmer in the 1857 West Riding Post Office Diectory. A debtor's court in 1860 also listed Joseph Hinchliffe (spelt with an 'e' at the end) as 'late of the Flouch Inn.' The later and rather grand Flouch Inn was not the original building, which was on the opposite side of the road junction and converted into a row of perhaps two or three dwellings which stand to this day. See Stocksbridge History site (outlying areas). As an accident black spot, road improvements diverted the flow of traffic away from The Flouch, with the addition of a new roundabout about 100 yards away (A628/A616, Langsett). The Flouch had been a lively pub in the 1980s and 90s and attracted many to its disco evenings (acquiring the nickname of 'the Dancing School') but trade fell away, possibly as a result of a stricter attitude to drink-driving. It had been a hotel and, for a time, simultaneously an Indian and an Italian restaurant until well into the 2010s, when it became a Balti House and Indian take-away. As of 2017, it is closed. |
| George and Dragon | ? | Crowden | A moorland beerhouse near 'The Quiet Shepherd' at Crowden. From 'Times Remembered' (see below). |
| (The) George Inn | Current | Upper Denby | Opened in 1857, this had been a sanatorium prior to being a pub. The building, along with a barn and cart house (both demolished) are believed to be 18th century in origin. See Upper Denby Conservation Area (No 49). |
| Golden Cross Inn | Closed around 1920 now a Dwelling |
Millhouse Green | Ben Crossland was landlord in the 1870s. He was charged with a breach of his licence in November 1876 because of the alleged serving of drinks out of hours (4.30 pm). The defendants had been found drinking in a pub outhouse by a PC. The landlord said he had not seen them since 'turning out time.' The case against the landlord was dismissed. The defendants all pleaded guilty. One of them, Allen Hill, was fined 10s with costs and the remaining defendants 5s each and costs. A similar case arose in 1880 and Ben Crossland was still in charge, and again in trouble for allowing out of hours drinking. Two of the defendants were of the same Crossland family, visiting their relative and their charges were dismissed. The remaining two defendants were each fined 5s with costs. Ben Crossley was fined £1 with costs. The original address for the Golden Cross was given as Thurlstone or 'near Millhouse' but, in a list of pubs owned or leased by the Brook and Co. brewery of Penistone (Cubley bottom), which had the pub from June 1903 onwards, it put its location as Millhouse Green. Now a private cottage, 287 Manchester Road, Millhouse Green. Ben Crossland was refused a bagatelle licence in 1880 at Barnsley Brewsters' Licencing Court. Its last landlord was Jack Crossland until around 1920, when the Inn and three cottages were sold to Barnsley Brewery for £1,025. |
| Green Dragon | Thurgoland | Robert Kirby is listed as keeping this house in the 1822 Baines Directory and George Kirby as a machine-maker and keeping this house in the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory. | |
| Heeley Inn | ? | Hoylandswaine | This would have been close to the crossroads which later became Hoylandswaine roundabout, around where there is now a veterinary. Another inn occupied a building on the opposite side of the road. There was also a toll chain on the Sheffield side in the olden days. Many thanks to Peter Lawford for this item, which needs further exploration. |
| Homely House | Most likely a dwelling |
Robin Row, Millhouse Green |
Described in an un-dated newspaper clipping as being a beerhouse on the site of Rose Cottage, Thurlstone. It appears to have been the same address as Strettons Brewery, on Robin Row, on the main Manchester Road, Millhouse Green. In the old days when the population there was very small, what we now call Millhouse Green was classed as being in Thurlstone and was largely moorland. See the Brewery section below this table. |
| Horse and Jockey |
? | Oxspring | This one appeared in Mrs Margaret Marsh's archive, with the remark that it was Jockey Farm at Oxspring. |
| Horns Inn, Horns Tavern or Horns Coffee House and Tavern |
Closed 24th Dec 1926 now 'Penistone Spice Flame and Grill' |
Penistone | It started out as the 'Horns Coffee House and Tavern' and occupied the site of Marsden's butcher's shop on Market Street. George Brown was listed victualler of the 'Horns Coffee House and Tavern' in a 1822 Penistone directory at 8, Market Street, Penistone (later to become the Balti House). An un-dated newspaper clip describes it as 'Now occupied by Messrs. Walker, confectioners, etc.' and having the appearance of having being originally erected as a dwelling house at a time when Penistone became increasingly industrialised. The clipping also says that Eli Womack was its last tenant and removed to Sheffield. A reference in the PCFC book about a William Marsh organising a football match in 1844, refers to him being the son of Abel Marsh (1791 - 1853) who kept the Horns Inn. It is possible that he held it in his latter years, perhaps to 1853. Another was George Brown (aka 'Old Rumbo'), known far and wide as 'Mine host of the Rose and Crown of Penistone' from his time there in the coaching days. Zachariah Wainwright was listed as victualler in Baines' 1855 Directory, Slater's 1855 Directory and the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory. He might have been related to John Wainwright who had the Black Bull. Tom Armitage is listed in Kelly's 1881 WR Directory, Vol2. Kelly's 1912 directory has Arthur Edwards as keeping the Horns Inn, 3 Market Street. Mrs Margaret Marsh's archive refers to the Horns as being Marsden's, which could have meant the location or owner rather than the keeper. There was at one time a so-called 'Poverty seat' outside the Horns, which entered local slang as a "Pov" as in, "I'll see you at the povs at 8 o'clock." A faded, painted sign above the shop reads: 'Bentley Rotherham Beers/Ales.' The 'Beers' and 'Ales' are on top of each other. Bentley's Ales changed its name to Bentley's Beers. A 1970s photo shows the building as 'Wordsworth Turton & Co.' but it became the Balti House Indian take-away. |
| The Huntress or Nan Allen's |
Probably demolished | Millhouse Green |
A small public house around the close of the 19th century, 'Where Thurlstone village opened to the moor.' This would have been towards Millhouse Green, which was part of Thurlstone until it established its own identity as a hamlet. The house was named after the local character, Nan Allen, who was something of a tomboy in early life but could hold her own with the menfolk at hunting or drinking. She became an unusual thing in later life, a huntswoman with a pack of hounds. When she grew old, she was described as gaunt with a mad look in her eyes but with marvellous strength and agility. She followed the hunt into old age, carrying a long staff and she could keep up with the hounds. The house might have changed from one name to the other, or possibly both names were used at the same time. Mr Roebuck's book called it 'The Huntress' but a Penistone almanack and 'Times Remembered' called it 'The Nan Allen' (see 'Sources' below).
|
| Junction | Stanhope Arms, now a dwelling, 'Hope House' |
Dunford Bridge | This grand house might appeared when the new railway was being in the mid-19th century. It later became the Stanhope Arms, at an unknown date, which closed in the 1990s after a popular run and was converted into a dwelling. It would have had some tales to tell. Given its remote location, it is likely that its demise had been gradual but inevitable, by the closure of the railway and then the drink-driving laws. Its last landlord was Edric (actually named Cedric) Foster with his then wife Ann. Edric also had the chip shop on Market Street, Penistone in the 1980s. The landlord before Edric (Brian?) is said to have built up the business on the food side. |
| Junction Inn | Dunkirk | Dunkirk | It was owned by the Brook and Co. brewery in January 1893 and was sold to its landlord in 1920. Now called the Dunkirk, it is a popular food pub in spite of its out-of-the-way location but still continues as a community bar. |
| (The) Last Shift | Thurlstone | Beerhouse located at the corner of Royd Lane and kept by John Senior, Blacksmith, around 1839 - 1840. | |
| Lord Nelson | Current | H'Swaine | The original Lord Nelson public house was built at Hoylandswaine in 1569 but it would not have been known by that name at the time as our national hero Lord Horatio Nelson, who triumphed over the French in the sea Battle of Trafalgar, would not have been born until 1758. It was acquired by the Brook and Co. brewery in 1886. Before renovation about century later it had several small rooms in the old style. It was extensively refurbished and walls were removed for the modern 'open plan' style. Although it still has a bar room with pool table to support its community function, it is mainly focussed on food these days. |
| Miller's Arms |
Opened 1795, Demolished |
Saltersbrook | This was on the rough Saltway pack-horse route on the Yorkshire side of Saltersbrook bridge, which became the turnpike road to Sheffield. The Miller's Arms could be fairly rowdy, with cock fights and illegal bare-knuckle prize fights, given the ease of evading police as it was on the border between the counties of Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Cheshire. The Shepherds' Society was formed here in 1807, about thirty years before the improved road over the Border Hill (Boardhill) to Woodhead and Manchester was built (now A628). At one time, the toll road had been so busy that £1,800 had been raised through tolls. A huge amount of money at the time. Some ruins of the Miller's Arms can still be seen. The adjacent 'Ladyshaw Bridge' is on a sweeping curve of the modern road. The Miller's Arms was owned and kept for many years by the Taylor family. Thomas Taylor was victualler on a 1822 Thurlstone list but Edward Taylor was listed as victualler in Baines' 1822 Gazetteer and Directory, White's 1838 Gazetteer, Baines' 1855 Directory, Slater's 1855 Directory and in the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory. Before the railway arrived, horse-drawn wagons from Oxspring mills took flour, etc. to Salters Brook, where customers would bring their own wagons for Lancashire, Cheshire and Derbyshire. There was also a warehouse at Saltersbrook. Yorkshire was noted for its bacon and Cheshire for its cheese. The waggoners would mix them together in great brown jars and bake them in the Miller's Arms' oven and consume the mixture whilst sat around a large old oak table in the house. The mixture was said to be quite agreeable. The flags below the table were well worn by their feet. Old Edward Taylor was landlord at the time. The pub was also used to pay navvies working on the Woodhead railway tunnels. A bullock was roasted at Saltersbrook when the Woodhead tunnel was bored through in 1845. According to the 1881 Penistone Almanac, Shepherd's Meetings were held here 20th July and 5th November each year, unless the date fell on a Sunday, when it is held the next day. Annual meetings were also held on the 21st July at the Snake Inn, Woodlands. Looking at a 1902 photograph (Penistone History Soc.), the sign over the door had these words:
'Millers Arms - Mary Jane Taylor Armitage - Licenced Retailer of - British & Foreign Spirits - Ale Beer Porter & Tobacco.'The City of Manchester Corporation water works purchased the Miller's Arms but let its licence lapse in 1916. It was finally demolished in 1920. Roger Waddington wrote on the Archive Group's Facebook: 'Little remains of one of the many Inns on the old toll road over Woodhead pass, but foundation stones and wall systems remain to this day at the side of the busy Sheffield to Manchester road (etc.),' with photos of the rubble and Lady cross. Mick Walpole wrote on the 'Just Old Penistone Pictures' Facebook group, describing a picture of it: 'Millers Arms at Saltersbrook. To find Saltersbrook, proceed along the Manchester Road A628 through Thurlstone, Millhouse Green past Bullhouse and the Flouch crossroads. At the top of Bord Hill, past the Dog and Partridge Inn, the road levels out and goes over a small bridge, Ladyshaw Bridge, over a brook. The current bridge dates back to 1730-40 and would have once been wood. Saltersbrook House is now ruined but stood by the trail here. This Inn was opened in 1795 to close in 1852. A welcome break for refreshments for travellers and Drovers.' See 19th Century timeline, Langsett Parish Council, 1993 SDHC Newsletter and see the Plough and Harrow, below. |
| New Inn | Thurlstone | The keepers were George and Jonas Heward in Baines' 1822 Gazetteer and White's 1838 Gazetteer. Joseph Hinchcliffe in Baines' 1855 Directory and Slater's 1855 Directory. The actual location is unknown beyond being in Thurlstone. This pub name is always a bit useless and a poor replacement for what came before as pubs and other things cannot be called 'new' for very long. It just breaks the progression of history and people still stick to the old names anyway. | |
| New Inn | Farm | Near Westhorpe | Closed between 1830 and 1840, this is now a farm out-building. It is not obvious where Westhorpe is but presumably on the outskirts of Oxspring. |
| Old Birch Tree Inn |
Not known | Penistone | Disappeared by 1822. |
| Old Crown | Current | Penistone | It was said that clay from a field on Penistone Green was used to make bricks for the Old Crown and the building which preceded it. Penistone Green later became the site of Joseph Hawley and Sons' wood mill but is now a tightly-packed plot of new houses. Joseph Dealty was a keeper, followed by Joseph Bedford, whose memorial can be found in Penistone churchyard (died 31st January 1845, aged 63 years also his wife Dorothy who died 1840). Joseph Bedford had the Old Crown when a meeting was called on 15th May for creditors of John Wain, an innkeeper of an unspecified inn in financial difficulties. Joseph's successor did not fare well. William Bedford was landlord in 1864 but fell on bad times. He was listed as victualler in Baines' 1855 Directory, Slater's 1855 Directory and the Post Office 1857 Directory. He had to hold a sale-by-auction 'To Innkeepers and others' of furniture and pub fittings, presumably in an effort to keep afloat. A year later, he had become a grocer's assistant and adjudged bankrupt. With the abolition of tolls on Penistone's turnpike roads, an auction of toll-gates, houses, etc. on the Huddersfield - Penistone turnpike roads was held May 1870 in the Old Crown (described as 'the house of Mr Holmes'), on consequence of the trust expiring in June 1872. Mrs Wainwright was landlady in 1872 (West Riding Directory 1837). William Holmes is listed as the victualler in Kelly's 1881 WR Directory, Vol2. Penistone Chess Club was in the Old Crown in 1881 with Charles Sackville as Honorary Secretary. In September 1924, Laura Sylvester Greaves, aged 21 years, of Barnsley, employed as domestic servant at the Old Crown Hotel, Penistone, was found in bed unconscious suffering from gas poisoning. She died in the Barnsley Beckett Hospital the following week. At the inquest, a verdict of “accidental death” was returned. In the 1960s, it was kept by Albert and Rita Tucker, up to perhaps 1973. A photo (Archive Group) shows a fire engine outside the building in the 1950s or 1960s. Pete Walton says: 'it used to be Hammonds ales from Huddersfield. When the brewery sold it off, Billy Marsden bought it and of course, he being a Sheffield bloke, he got Stones in.' Lesley Jones said: 'I remember when the 'N' fell off and the sign read the 'OLD CROW' - the landlady was not impressed, ha ha.' A back room was used for disco nights during the noughties. In recent times the Old Crown changed hands several times. |
| 'Old Rose and Crown' | Farmhouse | Sheephouse Hill | This had a passing entry in 'A Further History of Penistone' by the WEA, which said that it had been a coaching house until 1873 for the route from Penistone to Hope, via Hollins Lane. |
| Old Tavern | Dwelling | Denby | The Old Tavern, 134 Denby Lane, was formerly the New Inn (1818 to 1963), it occupies a prominent position in the centre of the village facing the road, on the corner of Denby Lane and Bank Lane. See Upper Denby Conservation Area (No 49). |
| Plough and Harrow aka Fiddler's Green |
Ruins | At Fiddler's Green |
Squire Leycester built this public house in 1817 on the new turnpike road at Salter's Brook (near the Lady Cross) which had improved the earlier salter's way. The Plough soon acquired the name of Fiddler's Green as per the story below. The name also appeared in 19th-century maritime folklore which might have been known about at the time, regarding an Afterlife Fiddler who never stopped playing. A shepherd's hut had stood at the top of the hill in earlier days, 'Where the new road strikes off from the old one' (source unknown). Pack horse wagons laden with flour would change horses at Fiddler's Green, which had a turnpike. A sign board had this inscription:
'The Sign of the Plough, Likewise the Harrow, - Pay to-day and trust to-morrow.'The name of 'Fiddler's Green' was originally conceived in sarcasm by the owners of the nearby Miller's Arms, when the Plough and Harrow opened as unwelcome competition. A blind fiddler from Woodhead had lost his way home from an engagement. He wandered a long time on the bleak moors before being found frozen and famished at the side of a peaty pool, many miles from his Woodhead home. He was taken to a Ronksley farm, where restoratives were administered. His first words upon regaining consciousness were "Where's my fiddle?" After three months, the fiddle was found in a seemingly impossible place on the moors, giving some clue to the aimless route of his wandering. Very naturally, the fiddler's services were called upon when the new pub opened, no doubt as a gesture of sorts to the Miller's Arms nearby. The Fiddler's Green name stuck. William Bagshaw was the first landlord until he died in 1849. However, Richard Bagshaw is the keeper in Baines' 1822 Gazetteer and White's 1838 Gazetteer. Ronald Bower of Woodhead took over with Matthew Hinchliffe ('Mat o' Nack's'), John Clarke and others as sub-tenants. Matthew became notable for shooting the legs of a navvy who was seen in the early hours of one morning carrying a fat goose over his shoulder. The navvy's bloody footsteps led to the entrance of the Woodhead Tunnel, which was under construction. Victualler of the Station Inn at Hazlehead, John Clarke was the last man to sell ale at Fiddler's Green. According to Langsett Parish Council, it closed in 1851 but another account gives the pub closing around 1860. All that remains of both pubs is rubble and the Lady Cross is little more than a stump on a substantial stone base. See this SDHS pdf. See also the Miller's Arms, above. |
| Prince of Wales | Demolished now houses |
Crow Edge | 'Dennis Tetley first did it up and changed the name' (From Facebook) to become the 'Pratty Flowers.' Another facebook entry says: 'Paul Stanley had it for a while in the 90s.' Pratty Flowers is the title of a local song, also known as the Holmfirth Anthem. It was renamed again as 'The Pennine Inn' but was kept in a fairly traditional pub style with a pool table and possibly a dartboard. It was very popular as a foodie pub and had a large car park behind. There is a story about a Turkish fellow taking it on but I can't afford any lawsuit which might follow. It closed some time in the 1990s and now has houses on the site. |
| Prince of Wales |
Wiseman's, now a Turkish barber shop |
Formerly No. 60, re-numbered 90 High St, Penistone |
This belonged to Rawsons Brewery (from Sheffield) and/or Gilmore's (another Sheffield brewery) but the year it opened is not clear. At one time it was kept by Joseph Brown. It changed to an off-licence and food shop in 1873 when it was bought by Lancelot 'Lance' Gibson Burdett. Robert Hodgson Wiseman took over the shop in 1822 and turned it into Wiseman's off-licence and grocers and it continued for many decades into living memory as a delicatessen and off-licence. It later changed hands but still traded under the Wiseman name, although no longer connected with the Wiseman family. It became a Turkish barber shop around 2019. See 1873 in the 19th C Timeline for its heritage as a shop. |
| Queen Hotel | Children's Nursery |
Spring Vale | The large building on the left corner of the lane leading down to Penistone Cricket Club. This old pub was named after Queen Victoria and built in 1862 by Joseph Clarke. Here's a question. Why was Spring Vale like an old penny? Answer; because it had the Queen on one side and Britannia on the other. Spring Vale houses and both pubs were built to service the increase in population after the steelworks opened in 1863 and the railway in 1865. Up to that time, there was not much to speak of in Spring Vale and Green Road would have been a rough lane. Fred Fearnley is listed as victualler in Kelly's 1881 WR Directory, Vol2 (and Alfred Fearnley at the White Bear). The Kelly's 1912 directory lists Harry Thorpe as the keeper. From Lesley Willis: George Herbert Wilby, married to Catherine Elizabeth Oakley, were the landlords shown on the 1901 census. The Oakley family had come to Spring Vale from Staffordshire to work at Cammell Lairds. Around 1915, Harry Thorpe was landlord. (From June Harrison) The Crompton family had the Queen in the 1960s. It was not in use for several years until being converted into a dwelling in 1974 by local resident Mr Booth, following a football pools win. In the 21st century, both venues became children's nurseries with the Queen as 'Little Freddies.' |
| Quiet Shepherd | Farm | Crowden | A moorland beerhouse, along with the George and Dragon at Crowden. Mentioned in 'Times Remembered' (1990), a booklet from the History Group. |
| Rag & Louse aka 'The Rag' (even now) |
Fountains Inn now The Fountain |
Ingbirchworth | The Rag and Louse opened around 1849, later to become the 'Fountains Inn' and now 'The Fountain.' The pub sign when it closed in 2017 included the line 'Formerly the Rag and Louse' and this might be why the old name is still used. We know it was not around in 1822 as the History, Directory & Gazetteer of Yorkshire 1822 lists only the Rose & Crown in Ingbirchworth. Its survival is surprising given that there were only 82 inhabited houses in 1891 and just 72 people in 1901 but it would also have had passing trade. It was leased by the Brook and Co. brewery (Cubley Bottom) in March 1907.
A grass track race meeting was held nearby on 7th July 1929, organised by the Penistone Moorland Motor Club and it was being called the Fountain at that time. We can be sure that Arnold and Joyce (surnames not given) kept the pub in the 1970s. Then Chris and Judy Ashton. From the Fountain's Facebook comments (new ownership in 2021), Alison Wood says: 'It was originally called the Rag and Louse, and was a staging post on the road to Thurlstone. There was an old pub sign with this name on when I worked for Arnold and Joyce in the 70s.' Charlotte Senior says: 'It used to be called the Rag & Louse and had a stage coach outside it. I don’t remember it as The Rag and Louse but being an ex-member of staff, regular customers used to come in and tell us about it.' Nicola Ward says: 'My nan worked for Arnold and Joyce, mum worked for Chris and Judy Ashton and me and my sister had Saturday jobs there.' In July 1982, landlord Chris Ashton started to sell milk at the bar, which proved popular. He sold more than 40 gallons in the first week. It was busy in the eighties and had regulars and a dart board. It was renovated some time afterwards and the layout chaged. It closed in 2017 with the danger of demolition hanging over it and laid empty for far too long, possibly attracting vandalisation. In 2020, planning permission to demolish the building and make way for thirteen houses was applied for to add to executive houses being built nearby (BMBC Planning 2020/0474). However, and very unusually, the planners refused permission to demolish with this remark: 'The proposed development will lead to the loss of a community asset for which insufficient justification has been provided.' In 2021, new owners were found and plans reappeared as application 2021/035 and we could see the Demolition Plan  and Site Layout . The revised plans still included new houses nearby (Feb 2021 Planning Statement ). After extensive refurbishment and delay, the venue re-opened in October 2021 under the name of 'The Fountain' as a busy community food-pub. It soon became very popular. The Fountain is used as a Voting Station. The old 'Rag' name is still in common used by older locals, even though none would be old enough to have seen the old name in use. . The Fountain, 33 Welthorne Lane, Ingbirchworth, Penistone, Sheffield, S36 7GJ. |
| Railway Inn Railway Tavern |
Dwelling | Hazlehead | John Clark is listed as keeping the Railway Tavern in the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory. It might have been once called the Station Inn - see the note above on the Plough and Arrow, Fiddler's Green |
| Railway Tavern |
Dwelling | 1 Stottercliff Rd., Penistone | This would have been near to what is now the St Mary's Street roundabout and coal drops. Kept successively by Benjamin Armitage, C Shore and Joe Wainwright. It closed in 1864. |
| Rock Inn | Dwelling | Thurlstone | Large building at the bottom of Rockside. From the list of 27 Brook & Co. pubs, the Rock Inn was owned by the brewery in 1885, de-licenced in 1911. It became a private cottage in 1914 and was sold in 1920. Accounts from Brook & Co., Cubley Brook Brewery to Mr John Turner's in 1891 listed 26 gallons at 10d, costing £1/1/8d. Today's equivalent would be about two pints to the penny. Scotch whisky was 18/- (90p) a gallon (supplied from James Fox & Son, Barnsley) and Cognac brandy was £1/10s (£1.50) a gallon. Cigars were 9/6d (just over 47p) a hundred. A long row of windows at the top of the building suggests that it was converted from/to a weaver's cottage at some time, as with many other places in Thurlstone. A note in the Archive Group (Facebook) from Debbie Collyer says: 'The Rock Inn was run by my Turner ancestors at some point. They were stone masons and had a quarry behind the alehouse.' |
| Rose & Crown, H'Swaine |
Current | H'Swaine | Converted from a barn into a public house in 1804, around the same time that the Blacksmith's Arms closed higher up the road. This has kept many of its original features, such as exposed beams on ceilings, open fires and four small rooms, against the trend in recent decades towards 'open plan'. |
| Rose & Crown Inn | Dwelling | Sheephouse Hill, Midhope |
The Rose and Crown public house on the junction of the A616 and Mortimer Road was built by William Payne (1760-1831) when he was Lord of the Manor of Langsett. It flourished in the coaching era and serviced the needs of the Penistone to Hope coach (via Hollins Lane). It closed as a half-way house on 29th May in 1876, the building has since been converted into private dwellings. See a very good photo of it on the Stocksbridge History site ('Outlying areas'). |
| Rose & Crown, Ingbirchworth |
Replaced by new houses |
Ingbirchworth | This was situated on the sharp-ish right-hand bend upon entering Ingbirchworth. The History, Directory & Gazetteer of Yorkshire 1822 mentions John Mellor as having the pub. The New Yorkshire Gazetteer of 1828 describes Ingbirchworth, W. R. as 'A township in the parish of Penistone, wapentake of Staincross, 2½ miles N.W. from Penistone; inhabitants, 367. Joan Beever is listed as victualler in Baines' 1855 Directory but also appears as Jane Beever in Slater's 1855 Directory. The construction date of a later, brick-built R&C on the same site is not known. Its appearance was low and whitewashed but it had a good car park. It must have been of a particularly weak construction when disaster struck in 2006 as an inexperienced driver (aka 'boy racer') in a fast car managed to crash into the building, bringing down a brick wall. It did look flimsy. It is hard to imagine how that occurred, being on the inside of the bend with no other vehicle participating but some drivers seem to have a special knack. An application to demolish the building was made in May 2006 and a row of houses soon appeared, with their access road right on the blind-spot bend. |
| The old Rose & Crown, Penistone (to 1869) |
Replaced 1869 by the new R & C on an adjacent site |
Market Street, Penistone Town Centre |
 The Rose and Crown coaching inn was built around 1750, date uncertain. The R&C sign was a rose, half red - half white, surmounted by a crown, which became the emblem of the Tudors from the end of the War of the Roses (1485), when the victorious Duke of Lancaster (Red Rose) married Elizabeth of York (White Rose). JN Dransfield notes that, as the R & C and Old Crown were both built of the same red brick, they were probably from around the same time, some time after a contested watercourse plan of 1749 had appeared. The inn had an archway leading into the large inn yard with farm buildings and stabling for the coach horses for the weekly Halifax to London coach. The coaches would leave for Mortimer's road via Market Street and Penistone Green or via Church Hill (Church Street now) and crossing over the site of the current Penistone Church memorial ground to Green Road. The old R & C buildings would have partly straddled the current junction of Market Street with Shrewsbury Road but the latter was not a proper road in those days, more like a lane, with Church Hill as the main route down the hill. It is possible that the demise of the coach era led to different requirements for an inn, such as less stabling but more accommodation. Some of the old keepers' names are known, such as William Dagley. Edmund Smith is keeper in the 1822 Baines directory. George Brown ('Old Rumbo') was perhaps one of the best known landlords. He earlier had the Horns Tavern then took the R & C over when Edmund Smith retired. In the early coaching days, Brown could make £50 a day on fair days. He also owned the Green Moor stone quarries which provided another healthy income. As an aside, the cook for the old inn had been the local character of Nannie Bramall, who twice married the same man, Johnnie Milnes, notorious for his womanising. At the age of 60 he married again, but this time to Martha Hampshire. Old Rumbo died in 1835, with Jonathan Brown taking over whose gravestone reads: 'Sacred to the Memory of Jonathan Brown of the Rose and Crown Inn Penistone who died February 14th 1849 aged 62 Years.' Joseph Senior was next to take over and listed in Baines' 1855 Directory, Slater's 1855 Directory and the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory in which he was also listed as a farmer. See also the Rose and Crown history page and Penistone Archive's R & C 1749 to 1868 page. |
| Rose & Crown, Penistone. Replaced the old R & C, 1869 |
'New' R&C |
In the new premises, Joe Byrom was listed in the 1871 census as head of the household. The cattle market had been held in the street nearby until 1910 when a new and proper cattle market was being established, although the farmers were reluctant to move. Kelly's 1912 WR Directory has Henry Turner as keeper. The Rose and Crown attracted workers from the Hepworth Iron Company ("t' Company") of Crow Edge. It closed as a public house in 2011 and converted into 'Pennine Law' solicitors' offices (which followed on from Dransfield's). According to 'Times Remembered' (1990), a publication by Penistone LHG, three Rose and Crowns had been built in total over the years at or near the same site. See the Rose and Crown history page and Penistone Archive's R & C 1749 to 1868 page. | |
| Rose Inn | ? | Crane Moor | Joseph Garnett is listed as keeping this Crane Moor house in the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory. |
| Royal House | Never Opened, Demolished 2015 |
Sheffield Rd., Spring Vale |
Michael Horn submitted a cutting to Penistone Archive (Facebook), from a 1965 Barnsley Chronicle. It started: 'How many Penistonians know where the Royal House is?' and explained that Asa Silverwood had it built on Sheffield Road, opposite the end of Green Road. It was never granted a licence. Until recently, it was James Hinchliffe's Butcher shop (next to Spring Vale's new junior school). The shop was demolished in 2015 and replaced by new houses. From the article, a large upstairs room had been used for a time by Spring Vale Methodists. Dr Wilson used a downstairs room for his surgery. Mr Horne says that the book, 'Bygones of Penistone', is the origin of the story. On the Facebook page, Mr Robert Gleed made the following remark: 'It was Bunny Hinchliff's butchers and slaughter house. I can remember it from the early 60's till the late 90's being a butchers, you can remember Bunny making his meat deliveries in his old grey van, pottering around at 2 mph. A proper old character from Penistone.' |
| Salter's Brook Inn |
Gone | This was on the Saltway pack-horse route 7½ miles SW of Penistone. It was near the Lady Cross on the Yorkshire side of Saltersbrook Bridge, on the original turnpike road to Sheffield. Some ruins can still be seen. It later became the Miller's Arms. The Shepherd's Society formed here in 1807. Thomas Taylor is listed as victualler in the 1822 Baines Directory. See the Miller's Arms above and Langsett Parish Council. | |
| Shining Mule | Cubley | This is referred to in 'Bygones of Penistone' (9/1/65) by JW Penistone as having been de-licenced, presumably in the early part of the last century. It was somewhere near Cubley hall but on the Joan Royd side of Cubley. | |
| Smithy Arms | Current | Oxspring | Opened in December 2017, a new micro-brewery and small public house with beer garden, bottom of Bower Hill near the Waggon and Horses, Oxspring. Owner is David Cross. Open from 6pm, evenings Wednesday to Saturday. Facebook only. |
| Sportsman's Arms | Possibly Dental Surgery |
13 Market St. | This was kept by James Mitchell, from 1853 to 1860. Shops were built nearby in 1852. Penistone's streets were not named and numbered until 1881. On a plan dated 1749, High Street had been 'Town Street' but it was generally called 'The Street' or 'Penistone Street'. The current 'Penistone Dental Care' is listed as 11 - 15 High Street, but the numbers changed over the years. |
| Spread Eagle | Still going | Penistone | Marmaduke Clark was listed in 1822 Baines directory and 1837 West Riding Directory as victualler. He was succeeded by Benjamin Rayner of the nearby Birch Tree Inn. William Henry Fieldsend held it in 1862 when it was also used as a tailor's shop. Benjamin and William Fieldsend were listed as victuallers in Baines' 1855 Directory. Benjamin & Son in the Post Office 1857 Directory 'and tailors.' Mrs Margaret Marsh's archive refers to William Henry Fieldsend in 1862, who was also a tailor and his name is listed as victualler in Kelly's 1881 WR Directory, Vol2. The Spread eagle was also listed as the home of the Freemasons' Lodge (Wharnecliffe) in 1881. In the 1946 Penistone Almanack, it advertised as 'One of Fox's houses' referring to James Fox & Sons, Regent St., Barnsley. Licensee in 1945 was CJ Gillis, who explained in the advert that good quality wines and spirits were very scarce (post-wartime) but that they would return and be of the best value. The Spread's regulars often included workers from David Brown's on Green Road. It was renovated in the 2000s and re-opened as a food pub. It was renovated and re-opened again in 2016, after its future again had looked uncertain but the food side did not continue. In its later style, the pub would be a sports supporter, with popular football matches on its several tv screens. The Spread Eagle sign comes from the heraldic depiction of an eagle 'displayed'. It was probably derived from the arms of Germany, indicating that German wines were available. |
| Stanhope Arms | Private dwelling | Dunford Bridge | George Whitfield is listed as keeping house in the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory. An advertisement in the 1878 Penistone Almanack had Mr TJ Woofinden as proprietor with a rather fanciful drawing of a church with steeple and wooden bridge over the river. The ad went thus: 'Stanhope Arms Hotel. This hotel is under entirely new management and offers good accommodation for visitors. Close to the moors, surrounded by pleasant scenery. No effort spared to ensure the comfort and enjoyment of visitors. Large and small parties catered for. One minute from station. TJ Woofinden, proprietor.' Two things here, the Dunford Bridge railway station was open and Winscar reservoir had not yet been built. In more recent times, the Stanhope Arms had been a popular food pub for many years and noted for its food, particularly the Sunday dinners. In the time of Edric and Ann Foster, a regular guest organist played on Saturday evenings and other events. They had also held gala days and bed pushes. Some people might remember lock-ins with all curtains drawn, but one might not like to admit anything. With the demise of the railway and with the line becoming the Trans-Pennine Trail, the Stanhope became a very handy refreshment stop for cyclists, walkers and horse riders until it closed. Perhaps its remoteness and some bad winters had sealed its fate. |
| The Star | ? | Thurgoland | George Houghland and George Offleton are listed as victuallers in the 1822 baines Directory. |
| Swinden Walls | Demolished | Between Penistone and Woodhead |
This was mentioned in Captain Adam Eyre's diaries, between 1646 and 1649. From Langsett Parish Council, this was a farm and roadside inn halfway between Penistone and Woodhead off the Boardhill road. The farmhouse has gone but a barn remains. This might have been the most convenient watering-hole for Cpt. Eyre, who lived at Hazlehead. |
| Three Travellers | Houses | Church Hill near Cock Pit Lane |
Kept by Joseph Shaw, east of Cockpit Lane, Church Street in the same place as the top row of houses. It is likely that the houses followed on but were later rebuilt. It had long disappeared by 1822, according to Mrs Margaret Marsh's archive. There might have been another pub near there too. The church wall used to have a gateway opposite the building, of which there is still evidence, which would have been used by PGS pupils. Upon rebuilding Penistone Grammar School (18th century) on an adjacent site to its Kirk Flatts site near the church, there had been evidence of stonework from an even earlier public house opposite to what is now Clark's chemist, name unknown. |
| Traveller's | Fox House | Near Carlecotes | According to anecdote, 'The Fox House' was a nickname for the Travellers but the name stuck.. It is now well-established as an eating place or 'gastropub' (with minimal veggie options). |
| Traveller's Inn | ? | Ingbirchworth | Location and history unknown. Jonathan Roebuck was listed as victualler in Baines' 1855 Directory. |
| Traveller's Inn 'The Fours' |
Current | Four Lanes End Oxspring |
Also know as 'The Fours' given its location on a crossroads of the main Huddersfield to Sheffield road and the Oxspring to Silkstone Common road. Joseph Booth was listed as victualler in Baines' 1855 Directory and the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory but the keeper is Jonathan Roebuck in Slater's 1855 Directory. Henry Fretwell is listed in Kelly's 1881 WR Directory. |
| Waggon & Horses | Current | Oxspring | George Lockwood is listed as victualler in Baines' 1855 Directory, Slater's 1855 Directory and the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory. Mrs Mary Atkinson is listed in Kelly's 1881 WR Directory. Frank White had the W&H in 1982 when he wrote a comedy play for the Wagon and Horses Drama Group called 'Where There's a Will' and in 1983, the plays 'Revolution' and 'Revelation' to be performed by the same group. It is an old pub which is popular as a food pub. A loft conversion created 'The Rafters' function room in recent times. |
| Waggon & Horses aka Billie Green's |
Current | Langsett | William Payne built the Inn at Langsett in 1809. It replaced an older inn that was demolished to make way for the new turnpike road. He lived at Frickley Hall, near Doncaster, bought Lord Melbourne's Estate in Langsett in 1802, which consisted of 925 acres for £16,400, or an average of £17 14s. 7d. per acre. Under the Langsett Enclosure Act of 1811, an addition of 2309 acres were awarded to Mr Payne, giving a total of 3234 acres, which reduced the cost to £6 Is. 6d. per acre. Payne was also involved with building the Wadsley, Langsett, and Sheffield Turnpike road. The construction of the new road necessitated removing an older Langsett Inn that had stood by the side of the older road, to the west of the present Inn. The later Inn was built on ground once occupied by Jinny-Sheds, an appellation that corresponds with the name Gin-House, which had been applied to Well House Farm on Hunshelf Bank (details From booklet 'Midhope cum Langsett' P37, published as part of An Early History of Stocksbridge). A J Sanderson was victualler on an 1822. George Green is listed in the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory for this house. Long known as Billie Green's (although his wife Helen was the mainstay), and long familiar with Irish navvies, ramblers, and steel company executives, another source (misplaced, sorry) has this old inn dating from 1870, which was probably a replacement for Mr Paine's old house. Kelly's 1881 WR Directory lists the Langsett farmer George Green as victualler. It was Billie Green's mother who ran it in the early days, when it was known as Ma Green's. She was the second wife of George Green and she died in 1908, aged 67. Her son Billie Green died 5th June 1958. Billie's wife, Helen, died in 1995, having served her last meal at the Waggon in 1960. Helen had been a magistrate, WRCC councillor and a governor of both Sheffield's Granville College and PGS. (Details from 1997 Barnsley Chronicle article). According to the Barnsley CAMRA magazine (Autumn 2021), this pub has been in the same hands since 1974. Thurlstone list. See Langsett Parish Council. |
| Waggon & Horses | Later possibly the Blue Ball |
Near Thurlstone Bridge |
According to Marlene Marshall of the Archive Group, it later became the Blue Ball (see above). Various directories have listings for the Blue Ball back to 1822. It is possible, as a gravestone in Penistone churchyard has: 'John Charlesworth, Inn-keeper to the Waggon and Horses, Thurlston' who died 7th July 1813, aged 61. He must have been quite unwell: 'Afflictions sore long time he bore, Physicians were in vain, Till God above in his great love Released him from his pain.' His wife Helen died in 1791. On the same stone, his daughter Mary died 6th April 1795, aged only 21 years. Hers is a sad tale: 'A Martyr to Love and of a broken heart, She sought an early grave, Wounded by Treachery, Death's keenest Dart, Thus sunk the virtuous and brave.' It is likely that Mr J Sanderson followed on as victualler, as in the 1822 Baines Directory (p.621) for the Waggon and Horses, Thurlstone. Brenda Ladlow wrote on Facebook: Bank House cottage at Thurlstone, which is accessed from the Trans-pennine Trail, was built in 1774 and was an Inn at that time. I lived there as a child but never knew what it had been called. The track that passed there, I believe, was part of the route that went to the salt mines in Cheshire. There is no Blue Ball listed in Baines' 1822 Directory. |
| Wentworth Arms | Closed 2013 Now Flats |
Penistone | This was a traditional pub with traditional atmosphere and its heraldic name was from the Earl of Wharncliffe. It was a coaching inn before the days of the railway and there is wear and tear evidence of horse-drawn coach traffic on the left-side stone in the archway, now fenced off due to its conversion into flats. Brook and Co. brewery leased it in December 1899. For an unspecified time, Mr John Brownhill kept the Wentworth, while his son Richard (Dick) kept the Queens Hotel, just down the road. Two other sons had pubs in Wakefield. After Mr Brownhill died, the Wentworth was kept by his married daughter fanny and her husband Mr Richard Jones, who is listed in Kelly's 1912 Directory. According to the 1930 Penistone Almanack, telegrams to the Wentworth would need to be addressed as 'Foster, Penistone' which suggests that the name of the landlord was Foster. Or possibly not. During the 1960s until around 1970, it was run by Richard and Rose Masheder, who kept a bulldog. The Wentworth had been a hotel in the 1970s and kept chickens to provide fresh eggs for the guests' breakfasts. John Pierce kept the Wentworth in 1983 when he and five regulars raised £500 by cycling to Cleethorpes in less than 9½ hours, in aid of Barnsley Hospital's Children's Ward. Glen was a later landlord until he retired around the beginning of 2011 after being behind the bar for something like twenty-five years. New tenants Geoff and his wife took over in May 2011 but the pub struggled to continue. It closed in the summer of 2013 and the building was converted into apartments by John Wigfield of Cubley Hall, with new houses built on the rear car park. See the Wentworth Arms page. |
| White Bear | Clark's Chemist |
Penistone | Part of the old Wordsworth's Cloth Hall (which failed as a business) and converted into the White Bear in 1861 as a beerhouse. Benjamin White was landlord and was still there for the 1871 census with his wife Sarah and son Fred Rowley. Also a servant Lucy Holmes. Alfred Fearnley is listed in Kelly's 1881 WR Directory, Vol2., which also lists Fred Fearnley for the Queen's Hotel, most likely his brother. The entrance was in the ginnel between Clark's and what is now the Cinnamon Spice Indian restaurant. It had a fair run until it closed on Boxing Day in 1925 and became the Penistone Royal British Legion until 1974 when the RBL moved to its current site on St Mary's Street. The Cloth Hall is still standing but as Clark's Chemist. |
| White Hart | Later names: 'New Tavern Inn' 'White Heart' currently 'New Inn' (but 'White Hart' has stuck) |
By Penistone Bridge (over the Don) at Bridge End |
The oldest public house in the area, originally built in 1377 and up to recent times with the sign of King Richard II. Opposite to it was Black Swan. It also had a connection with the Grammar School. A 1604 charity commission enquiry records that the croft of John Leadbeater of the White Hart paid 3d per annum to the schoolmaster. Mary Jackson was listed in the 1822 Baines Directory and White's 1822 Gazetteer as victualler. Mrs Ann Hepplestone was listed as victualler in 1855 Baines Directory, Slater's 1855 Directory and the 1857 West Riding Post Office Directory. George Stones is listed in Kelly's 1881 WR Directory. Benjamin Lockwood is listed as keeper in Kelly's 1912 Directory. Incidentally, the nearby Thurlstone Road was labelled as 'Bawtree Lane' in a sketch map of 1800. An old picture of Bridge End (possibly the 1940s) appeared on the Archive Group's Facebook with the brewery Clarkson's Ales clearly readable. The licensees were Phil and Beryl Marsland in 1982, when it was a regional finalist for the 1982 Babycham 'Pub of the Year' award. It continued in its conventional style until the 1990s. After a short and unlamented period as 'The New Tavern' around 1991 (a widely-condemned name), the late and colourful Frank 'Sam' Thacker took it over, renovated it and reverted it to its ancient name. Sam converted outhouses into flats in the hope of attracting Bed and Breakfast trade for local businesses but it did not catch on. After selling up, he continued to live in one of the flats until he died. It was then refurbished in a bright, modern style and renamed the 'White Heart' which at least sounded like its historic name. As of November 2019, with the loss of trade during the Covid pandemic it closed down and went into administration, leaving wedding and other bookings unfulfilled. During 2020 and 2021, a substantial amount of building work took place ready for a come-back, but renamed as 'New Inn' (not a popular choice). The name of 'White Hart' is very common in the UK. Its heraldic symbol is of Richard II who came to the throne in 1377 at nine years old. Often, a white hart (male deer or stag) is portrayed with a golden chain or collar around its neck from a legend reported by Aristotle that Diomedes consecrated a white hart to Diana and placed a gold collar around its neck. For a some aerial views, see the White Hart page. |
| Wortley Arms | Current | Wortley Hamlet | From their website: 'The Wortley Arms was originally built as a coach house in 1753 at a cost of 188 pounds and 66 shillings' See Wortley Arms. |
| Old Name | Now | Location | Notes |
A Loose Inn-keeper
I have a loose end here. One of the gravestones in Penistone churchyard has this information: 'Robert Walker, died 9th Sept 1762, aged 18 years, son of Penistone Inn-keeper Robert Walker. Also Ann, wife of Robert, died 18th August 1771, aged 65. Also Robert, died 18th December 1773, aged 73.'
Beer Breweries
It is likely that many or even most of the old beer houses would have brewed their own beers in the old days but the economics of scale would lead to specialised breweries which would also take over ownership of some of the outlets. Penistone had only two breweries in the old days that can be ascertained. See Brewery History website for more detail.
Historic Breweries:
Bentley and Shaw
Founded in 1795 by Timothy Bently. Located at Lockwood Brewery, Bridge Street, Huddersfield. Taken over in 1944 by Hammond's Bradford Brewery. Bentley and Shaw supplied a great many Hudderfield pubs and two in Penistone: The Blacksmith's Arms, Millhouse Green (1867) and the Blue Ball, Thurlstone (1867), although Brewery History names it the Blue Bell. Could Bentley and Shaws brewery have been the fore-runner of Ben Shaw's pop?
Bentleys of Rotherham
Founded 1820 by Robert John Bentley, later acquired by Hammond's United Breweries in 1956. A sign for
for the brewery was painted on the wall above the Horns Inn and referred to 'Bentley Rotherham Beers/Ales' Bentley's Ales later changed to Bentley's Beers. As expected, it mostly served Rotherham and Sheffield. Only the Horns Tavern (aka Horns Inn) can be found on the Brewery History list for our district. See the Horns Inn in the table above.
Brook & Co of Cubley Bottom
The brewery was located on the right side of the road, if approaching Cubley from Penistone. The maltings was a building across the road, along with a horse trough for the dray horses. The business advertised in Penistone Almanacks as Brook & Co. From the Brewery History site we see a list of the 27 public houses supplied by them, complete with dates. It started as a beer brewery and maltings before it concentrated solely on producing malt vinegar from around 1923. See the Penistone Pure Malt Vinegar Co. page for more about the Brook & Co. brewery, with some photos.
A note from Twitter (incorporating text from this webpage) adds usefully that the business had traded as Bottomley and Co. in 1857 and was bought by the appropriately-named Joseph Brooke around 1870, to trade as Joseph Brook & Co., until 1884. The note goes on to say that the brewery and its trade were leased in 1913 to Stretton's Derby Brewery Ltd. (founded 1868) and by Carter Milner and Bird of Hope Brewery after 1920. From the Brewery History site, we can see a list of 27 public houses supplied by Brook and Co. and some dates.
Before the days of Health and Safety, industrial accidents were quite common. Looking at vintage films and various reports, such as protective clothes, hard hats, gloves and guard rails were unheard of, let alone any consideration about breathing fumes. From a snippet submitted by a former electrician at PPMV Co., Mr Peter Lawford, we discover that Mr Hugh Coldwell was a company brewer around 1860 who was fatally scalded at the company:
INQUEST AT THURLSTONE (From Leeds Mercury - 25th Nov 1862):
On Saturday afternoon last, an inquest was held at the Black Bull Inn, Thurlstone, before Mr T Taylor on the body of Mr Hugh Coldwell, late brewer in the employ of Mr B Brook & Co of the Cubley Brook Brewery, Penistone. The deceased was thirty eight years of age and was scalded on Tuesday evening last when he was so much injured that death ensued. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.
For many years, most of Penistone's beer was supplied from the brewery at Cubley Bottom which had its own water supply arriving via Cubley Wood by Cubley Brook and a dam. It is possible that beer/porter brewing started the brewery earlier than 1848, possibly by one of the Marsh family. A note from Twitter adds usefully that the business had traded as Bottomley and Co. in 1857 and was bought by the appropriately-named Joseph Brooke around 1870, to trade as Joseph Brook & Co., until 1884. The note goes on to say that the brewery and its trade were leased in 1913 to Stretton's Derby Brewery Ltd. (founded 1868) and by Carter Milner and Bird of Hope Brewery after 1920.
After such a long run of brewing beers, from about 1923 the brewery moved to brewing only malt vinegar. It became incorporated in 1925 as 'Penistone Pure Malt Vinegar Company' (Company Check) and it kept that name right to the end in 1983. When telephones started to be installed in Penistone, the brewery telephone number was Penistone 274.
Clarkson's Old Brewery of Barnsley
Founded in 1839, this brewery supplied several Barnsley area pubs but only the White Hart in our own district. The lettering of Clarkson's Ales is clearly visible on an Archive Group's photo of the White Hart, which looked to have been taken around 1940-1950. The brewery was taken over by Tennant Brothers Ltd, Sheffield (Est 1820). In turn, Tennant Brothers was taken over by Whitbread in 1961. See Brewery History Society's Defunct Breweries for South Yorkshire and Clarkson supplied pubs.
Hope and Anchor Breweries of Sheffield
Quite a convoluted history at Brewery History and now part of Bass Charrington. Only two Penistone pubs are listed for this one under the Carter, Milner and Bird Ltd pubs list. These are: White Bear, Market Street (May 1924, later became the British Legion for a time, now part of Clark's Chemist); Rose & Crown, Hoylandswaine (May 1932).
Mappin's Brewery of Rotherham
Founded 1796 by Green, Wright & Co. The Brewery History list for this brewery has only the Fleece Inn, Market Street for our district, sold 1874.
Rockside Brewery of Thurlstone
Much more recent than these other breweries. This was set up 1984 in an out-building behind a bungalow on Hornthwaite Hill Road, Thurlstone by David Winstanley and Peter Hanby. Then it moved to somehwere in the Barnsley area.
Seth Senior & Sons of Shepley
This was located at Highfield Brewery, Lane Head, Penistone Road, Shepley, now part of The Sovereign near Shepley. Seth Senior had been a stonemason living in a cottage above the Royal Sovereign Inn. Through the use of a borrowed gold sovereign coin which was worth a lot in those days, he set up a brewery in 1829 at first in his own cottage and later in a building next to the inn. In 1946, it would be bought out by Hammond's United Breweries. The location is now called the Sovereign Crossroads but was called Sovereign Head at the time as a busy junction of the newly-built turnpike roads serving Greenfield, Barnsley, Sheffield and Huddersfield. More about Seth senior at Shepley Village, which also shows their price list and a beer bottle label with 'and Cross Church St., Huddersfield.'
The brewery had supplied several Penistone pubs: The Britannia, Spring Vale; The Commercial, St Mary's Street, Penistone (became Swallow's barber shop); The Old Crown, Market Street (Dec 1887); The Queen's Hotel, Spring Vale (Feb 1872); Rose & Crown. Market Street; Black Bull, Thurlstone (May 1891, sold Aug 1897 to Clarksons of Barnsley); and the obvious one, the Sovereign (from 1846). Also the Sportsmans Arms, Hade Edge (Dec 1896).
Stretton's Brewery of Millhouse Green
Another local brewer appears to be the same location as the Homely House public house listed above. Strettons Brewery was on Robin Row on the main Manchester Road at Millhouse Green. Its local location can be found in the picture here on the right. As with the Brook brewery above, it is likely that Strettons supplied several local outlets and might have owned some of them. Googling 'Strettons Brewery Co.' comes up with a brewery of that name located at 360 Normanton Road, Derby, around 1902 - 1903, which might have had some sort of connection.
My thanks go to Stuart Gibbins for supplying the information and picture. The red area is where Strettons Brewery Co. is indicated on plans. The old petrol station is on the junction with Royd Moor Lane, which leads up to the viewing platform and Royd Moor wind farm.
Henry Tomlinson Ltd of Sheffield
This brewery was founded in 1889 and located at Anchor Brewery, Cherry Street, Sheffield until its demise by bombing in WWII. The Blue Ball in Thurlstone (1897), Dusty Miller at Millhouse Green (also 1897) and Bridge Inn at Bridge End (1919) are listed as Tomlinson pubs at Brewery History.
Ward & Co of Sheffield
Founded 1837 then moved in 1876 to Ecclehall Rd., Sheffield. In our district it is listed only for the Traveller's Inn, Four Lane Ends, Oxspring.
More Recent Micro-breweries:
Not historic but still of interest. Today is tomorrow's history.
Kibble Brewery
This is at Thurlstone's Crystal Palace. Their beers are named after Barnsley coal seams for some reason. An odd choice as Thurlstone and Penistone were never coal-mining areas and not many locals would have worked Barnsley's pits. Thurlstone's industry was mainly textiles or agriculture. Thurlstone families had skills in small-scale specialist textile processes, as is evident from the style of the older buildings.
Penistone Brewers
Established 2017 at the White Heart (or White Hart in the old days), Bridge End. Probably ended with the change to the 'New Inn.'
Smithy Arms
(Now closed). Bottom of Bower Hill, Oxspring, Sheffield, nearly opposite the Waggon and Horses. Real Ale Micro-brewery and micro-pub. Parking available down the main road.
Woodland Brewery of Penistone
This recently-established microbrewery was set up in the rear of Penistone Tap & Brewhouse, 14 Market Street, Penistone (a fine watering hole) but moved to another building to expand the pub area. Formerly called the Whitefaced Brewery from the local Whitefaced Woodland breed of sheep, changed for some reason. The sheep would not care. Worth sampling their beers. They are all good.
The Commercial
We all know it as The Huntsman in Thurlstone but up to perhaps the 1980s it was called The Commercial. This series of pictures were kindly loaned by Lynn Dean, nee Harley, whose Father was Frank Harley. Her parents ran The Commercial from 1967 to 1975 and a Mr Lavender had kept it for 39 years before them. You can see from the first picture that the pub had a traditional bar in those days, with panelling right up to the ceiling. That style is very rare now and the only example I know of is at The Albert in Huddersfield.
These pictures are from the early 1970s. From top-left, the landlord and landlady (the Harleys) behind the bar and Mr Woodcock, who had the hardware shop on Penistone High Street, now the Britannia BS. Next we have another well-known face; Donny 'Zonny' Butcher and what appears to be a vicar sitting down. The third picture is of the harvest festival. On the next row is a group of dignified gentlemen whose names will be added as best as I can discover them, two fine topers and the last picture is a group of people in fancy dress from the vinegar works in Cubley Bottom.
The Bridge Inn
The pictures below were kindly provided by Mr David Wilkinson, whose parents John and Joan Wilkinson looked after this old public house until the early 1960s. They are shown in the colour picture, which dates from November 1961, with their business card next picture. The third picture shows a Harvest Festival in September 1960 and the next two pictures on the second row are close-ups from that picture.
The taller fellow standing is Frank Ashton, who was well known as a local councillor. Some of the others shown (particularly on the left) were visitors from Dronfield, connected with the Wilkinson family. The fifth picture shows the plaited design which was famous on loaves made in the bakery on Shrewsbury Road, later to become Best's Bakery. My thanks go to David for these pictures.
The last picture also appears on the White Hart history views page, as an aerial view of the Penistone Bridge area in 1962. The White Hart is the white-washed building with the red garage door. The Bridge Inn is to its right and closer to the road. At that time there was a bicycle shop on the side nearest to the zebra crossing.
Sources
The information on this page derives from many sources but these in particular had been the most useful.
Pub Names and History
The Inn Society explains some common public house names in England. Pub signs were easy to make sense of in the old days when few people could read. Some in our area, such as the national hero Lord Nelson, The Huntsman, Dog & Partridge and The Bridge by Penistone Bridge are easy to explain. As was the Crystal palace, when that building London held the great exhibition. Other are less so. Who knows which fountain the Fountain Inn refers to? It was formerly the Rag & Louse - and that too must have been a good story.
The White Hart (white deer) was the emblem of King Richard II (r. 1377-1399) and, presumably, The Old Crown would have referred to a past king during the reign of another, but to discover which one is lost in history. The sign of the crown was easy for the largely illiterate population to understand. A history of pubs, inns, taverns, etc. can be found on the Historic UK site.
For more history about local inns and pubs, please visit my Historic Inns page. You might be surprised to learn which familiar shops used to be beerhouses in the olden days. The information comes from many sources but, in particular, the late Neville Roebuck's book 'It Happened in t' Pub'.
Index of Topics
A repeat of the one at the top.
Groucho Marx: 'I don't care to belong to any club that would accept people like me as a member'.
