retiredmartin

February 2026. Gleadless Townend. Sheffield.

I suppose it’s best to accept the inevitable…in 2026 we’re just not going to get any new Victoria/Edwardian multi-room heritage pubs. But there’s an infinite number of one room shop conversion micros to be developed in otherwise underpubbed suburbs.

No more so than in South Yorkshire, where recent years have seen neighbourhood bars pop up in Rotherham, Woodhouse and now the Gleadless Valley, 20 minutes south of Sheffield Station on t’tram.

I know you’ll assume that all of Sheffield is cool and glamarous, what with Mrs RM, the Sheffield Hatter and Jarvis Cocker living here,

but it gets a bit more plain as you head towards Halfway and Crystal Peaks. “Nowt wrong with plain“, as they say up here.

More exciting culinary options near Gleadless Townend tram stop than in the whole of Turin,

and opposite the Greene King roadhouse a proudly self-proclaimed micro that had opened that very week.

The words on the window say it all. “Do the read” as English teachers probably say in America.

It’s Friday, it’s five to five four, Crackerjack Valentine’s Day Eve. And it’s totally packed, a joyous pubby atmosphere.

Actually, I didn’t click it was VD day for a while, thinking I must have intruded on a private party, and feel a bit sheepish approaching the bar, assuming I’ve missed a big sign telling me to keep out.

The crafty keg range looks incredibly inviting, Cloudwater, Deya and Yonder, but in the interests of future GBG potential I feel obliged to test the cask. As always, read the board.

And it’s a cool and foamy Abbeydale in branded glass which was good enough and might have tasted even better if I hadn’t had to stand (not complaining) and also hadn’t just noticed the price. £5.80 for Moonshine, more expensive than the Deya Pils.

But then, why should cask be cheaper than keg just because old men drink it ? I have a gorgeous half of the Cloudwater Butterfly Effect, expertly decanted into the pint glass which I’ve ensured isn’t collected,

because as you know, beer tastes better in a pint glass.

Quite a bit to unpack here, but clearly a well-run popular pub already, and that’s a wondrous thing. Tram out, two pints of strong craft, walk back down via the Gleadless Valley. Add it to your list.