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sheffield hatter
13-06-2013, 21:20
I was walking through Walkley in Sheffield today and saw that some peeling paint on the wall of a house had revealed a previously hidden sign saying "Wards Fine Malt Ales". (See photos attached.) I've not been able to find any information to confirm that this was a pub. There's no mention on the Sheffield History Forum's index of pubs (http://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/8132-index-of-sheffield-pubs/?&p=58853#entry58853), which is pretty comprehensive, I've found.

There's a website concerning the history of a family who once lived here (386 South Road), and this has photos from 1903 (http://www.chrishobbs.com/sanby1891.htm) and 2002 (http://www.chrishobbs.com/southroad.htm). The first shows the corner of the house but before the Wards advert was added. It doesn't seem to be a pub, though; more like a shop, but the photo is hard to interpret. The second shows just the front elevation.

Looking at streetview (https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=386+south+road+walkley&hl=en&ll=53.394713,-1.502326&spn=0.000232,0.000431&sll=47.73855,12.508828&sspn=34.38792,56.513672&t=h&hnear=386+S+Rd,+Sheffield+S6+3TF,+United+Kingdom&z=21&layer=c&cbll=53.394685,-1.502402&panoid=eyR1nabyKLgfiXMf0gAwJQ&cbp=12,0.36,,0,0.84), there's clearly a trap door for lowering barrels into the cellar (seen behind the white van). Interestingly, the pub is on the corner of Palm Street, which has a pub called the Palm Tree (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/43298/) half way down - most pubs in residential areas are on the street corner, as I pointed out in my review. Obviously I've fallen in love with my theory...

Any ideas?

rpadam
13-06-2013, 22:27
I've looked at a range of old Ordnance Survey maps on the www.old-maps.co.uk website, and there is no sign of it ever having been a pub (with the nearest being the Freedom House, located a short distance down South Road opposite the Freedom Road junction).

According to this Sheffield History forum topic http://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic/5023-palm-street/, it was a grocer's run by a Rowland Hill in the early 20th century.

Pubsignman
13-06-2013, 22:46
There is a suggestion here (http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/52815/pages/1371/page.pdf under the name 'Coates') that the property used to be an off-license.

sheffield hatter
13-06-2013, 23:12
According to this Sheffield History forum topic http://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic/5023-palm-street/, it was a grocer's run by a Rowland Hill in the early 20th century.

Thanks for that RPA. One of the Sheffield History forum posters describes it as a "beeroff shop", so it may have served draught beer to be taken home in jugs. This would explain the trap in the pavement, which is clearly much bigger than a coal hole and which initially convinced me that this must have been a pub.

The further reference to the off-licence found by PSM wraps this up for me - it always looked more like a shop than a pub.

Thanks both.