Embedded Files
Explore our interactive topography of Sheffield's drinking past and present, and see how the city's urban landscape has changed through its pubs, breweries, and bars.
We've located and mapped over 1,800 places in Sheffield's history since the 18th century as dedicated spaces related to the production, retail, and consumption of alcohol to see how the city's urban environment has changed. Within this understanding, we've looked into the cultural values - such as craft and independent - associated with 484 specialist alcohol locations open between July 2024 - July 2025 to see the impact these new labels have had upon Sheffield's changing landscape.
Craft is a difficult term to pin down, but is connected to an ethos, scale, and approach to alcohol production, yet often lacks clear definition. Characterising ‘independence’ equally is complex, but is defined here by control over what is sold in 'tied' pubs - those required to buy its "wets" (drinks) from certain breweries, companies, or in tied "lines" - as well as in brewery-owned pubs, pubcos, and free houses; and as the companies that own individual businesses or venues. For some, this is also not just about the contract a place might have with a brewery, but also the values, locality, and origins of the products it serves. We looked at locations ownerhip based on sites where their primary purpose is dedicated to producing, retailing, and / or consuming alcohol, and where ownership or operation could be established through readily available information online (e.g., centralised marketing, listings, self-identification as ‘independent’).
Sheffield's drinking landscape was, and still is, extensive. We are continuing to go through archives, records, listings, and maps systematically to locate establishments - many venues are recorded, but cannot be located. Since the 18th century, roads were renamed and renumbered, buildings changed their names, some 'offical' addresses were just rough locations. We have a list of places we cannot locate that we hope to publish in the future with plans to crowdsource information on where they may be sited.
Click on locations in the map below to find out more
Key changes
Key changes
Industrial heights
Industrial heights
During Sheffield’s industrial heyday (between the later 18th and early 20th centuries), the geography and density of its drinking landscape mapped closely onto its manufacturing and industrial landscape, with the city’s breweries and drinking outlets concentrating in the central and north-eastern townships of the city alongside the large steelworks and workshops.
The city centre and Attercliffe district to the east saw high notable concentrations of pubs - the route of Attercliffe Road can be mapped based on the location of pubs alone.
War recovery
War recovery
After the Second World War, the pub landscape began to thin out in the city and industrial areas. Many locations were demolished after bomb damage and Victorian areas of the city were redeveloped.
Some pubs began to open in other domestic areas of the city region, such as to the south east with the introduction of 'estate pubs' built to support communities in these new districts. Extensive blocks of flats - such as Park Hill - saw new pubs being installed within their architecuture.
Decline and regeneration
Decline and regeneration
Through the 1970s and 1980s, the closure of coal and steel plants and slum clearance measures across England led to the decline of many community and industry orientated pubs in Sheffield.
By the turn of the millenium, however, Sheffield's growing nighlife scene was a draw across the north of England. New parts of the centre were beginning to gain traction, and big funding regeneration grants were refubishing social spots across the city. Many of big breweries in Sheffield shut their doors as multinational brewing consolidated in their operations into centralised brewing plants the UK.
'Craft' boom
'Craft' boom
The 2000s saw the emergence of new independent microbreweries, distilleries, and specialist 'craft' bars open across Sheffield. The opening of the Fat Cat pub and Kelham Island Brewery in the 1990s revitalised the area around Kelham, marking it an international hotspot for beer innovation and instigating a wave breweries opening in the city.
The city’s drinking places, especially its independent ones, flourished north, south and west of the centre, reflecting the renewed vibrancy of many different townships and neighbourhoods. Areas to the east of the city, however, continued to see pub closures.
Today
Today
In Sheffield's townships, independent drinking places are inextricably linked to the city's post-industrial identity as a city of diverse neighbourhoods, each with distinctive histories and characteristics.
Beyond 'craft' beer, the independent drinking scene has expanded and helped form the character of Sheffield's neighbourhoods. Many areas further out from the city's core, however, remain as yet untouched by the independent sector.
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