The Rising Sun
The Rising Sun (winner of the 2022 Sheffield & District CAMRA Pub of the Year award, and 2023 Pub of the Year for Sheffield West) is a welcoming community pub based in the leafy Sheffield suburb of Fulwood. The pub has a long and rich history, of which Abbeydale Brewery’s ownership is the latest chapter. For today’s blog post we thought we’d take a deep delve into the past of our beautiful pub – there’s much to share!
A pub has been situated in the Rising Sun’s location since the 19th century, with its first appearance being in the 1859 General Directory of Sheffield. The name is said to have been chosen for pubs facing east and receiving the early-morning sun, which the original building did. The current building opened when the owners, the Sheffield Town Trustees, agreed to provide land for the widening of Fulwood Road to Sheffield Corporation, in return for the demolition and reconstruction of the original pub – which the widened road (to fit electric tram lines in the early twentieth century) was built right through the middle of! Scroll to the bottom of this blog to see a photo of the original building, with a much more familiar looking Rising Sun in the process of being built almost at a right angle to it!
In 1891, then landlord John Taylor was summoned to court for selling alcohol during prohibited hours, to around fifty Engineer Volunteers following their church parade. This event made the national news(!), with the Plymouth and Cornish Advertiser sharing the tale of John’s wife and daughter being caught in the act of pouring beer as quickly as they could into a random assortment of drinking vessels for the thirsty volunteers – the rascals! Sounds like John was usually on his best behaviour though, as he was let off with a £2 fine and allowed to keep his license due to his previous good character.
The pub has always been at the heart of its community, hosting events such as the Nethergreen floral and vegetable show just after the turn of the twentieth century, where it appears the “six dahlias” category was hotly contested and with no less than FIFTEEN prizes given out for differing types of award-winning kidney bean.
The existing building opened in July 1904, operated by the Sheffield Public House Trust Company and with J. Rowbotham as the first manager. A newspaper report from 1907 stated that “at the Rising Sun, the demand for teas, Bovril, meat sandwiches, and bread and cheese has been exceedingly great” (do give us a shout if you’d like to see this selection back on the menu!)
Mid-century, the license was taken over by the Courage group – and fun fact: according to long time regulars of the pub, until the 1950s, the car park behind the pub was a bowling green, with a wooden verandah spanning the back of the pub to make sure spectators had a good view. Interestingly, we couldn’t find any tangible evidence or photographs of such a bowling green, but we think it might still be hidden under the tarmac!
In the 1960s, to keep up with the fashions of the time, what is now the stage area to the left of the bar as you are facing it was converted into a fashionable cocktail bar, served by a hatch from the main bar. It was reportedly very popular!
The pub got a famous landlord in the 1980s, when Graham Pugh, football player for Sheffield Wednesday in the 1966 FA Cup Final, became the general manager. And then in July 1992, the University of Sheffield Students’ Union took over the pub, who were in charge right up until…
Abbeydale Brewery took ownership just in time for Christmas 2005! We officially took over the pub on the 19th December, and reopened on Christmas Eve – some might say we don’t do things the easy way! In the days between taking the pub and reopening there was lots to do, mainly cleaning, painting, installing new cellar kit and restocking everything from beer (of course), wine and spirits to glasses and crisps. One morning whilst sitting outside enjoying a well-earned cup of coffee, owners Pat and Sue noted the sheer number of dog walkers passing by. There and then, the Rising Sun became dog friendly, and remains so to this day. At the same time, having cleaned and painted walls and ceilings stained by years of smoking and with the smoking ban announced but not yet enforced, the Rising Sun became smoke free too.
Pat’s brother, Chris, was the first Abbeydale landlord. He did not take to it as a long-term prospect and was replaced by Dave and Karen Beaumont, already known to many regulars as they used to run the Beau Deli in Broomhill. Since then, Dave had worked as a drayman for Kelham island Brewery and when they too left the pub Dave continued to work for the brewery as a delivery driver until he retired in 2020. And our long-standing regulars will likely also remember Rob and Julie, who managed the pub for many years including overseeing the original Sunfest! The idea of the festival came about one bank holiday when Rob was chatting to Pat, and suggested a beer festival to help to put the pub on the map. “Absolutely!” said Pat. “How many beers could we do?” asked Rob – “At least 100” was the reply. “I was thinking 6!” said Rob. Pat of course got his way.
An extensive refurbishment took place in 2014, with the addition of a full kitchen and a feature glass-roofed extension creating the wonderful, welcoming and spacious venue we have today. The extension was designed by David Uhlar of Robin Ashley Architects. Much of the interior design was done by David, ably assisted by Dawn Milton, the business’ Finance Manager, and Nicole, then manager of the pub along with her husband Ryan. Dawn and Nicole had great fun sourcing things like the leather armchairs, Tiffany style lamps and many of the ornaments and pictures which adorn the pub today (and did a much better job than the design company we’d previously approached who seemed insistent that the pub needed to be covered in tartan upholstery!).
And as of 2018, we’ve had Absolution’s number one fan Garry at the helm, who has successfully steered the pub through challenging times and continues to strengthen the Rising Sun’s links with local people whilst showcasing what we at Abbeydale Brewery do best! We’re incredibly proud of our pub and the team there and it’s a privilege to be a part of such a long-standing community venue’s history – we can’t wait to see what the future will bring.
*As well as our own research, we’d like to extend thanks to Dave Pickersgill for contributing towards the historical background in this piece. If you enjoyed learning about the Rising Sun of yore, you can find much more about Sheffield’s pubs of historical interest in Dave’s book, Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs, which you can download here or head to our online shop to buy a physical copy.
