Shakespeares, Sheffield

One of the outstanding pubs in the Kelham Island area and certainly a don’t miss venue. Multi-roomed and eclectic it is adequately described in the previous reviews. On a recent Saturday afternoon visit the only down side was the family friendly nature of the place, plenty of pushchairs cluttering the place up but no screaming from the punters small or adult so it’s a minor point and the quality and range of the beer means it can be forgiven. The apostrophe problem can also be overlooked, it’s sometimes referred to, by Camra and on the pub’s sign as “ale & cider house”.

I first came here in 1999 when I was working nearby and popped in when on a break. This was after Wards Brewery had closed and there was only keg beer available. It has much improved since then, with a beer offering that is among the most eclectic in Sheffield, and that's saying something. Also eclectic would be the furniture, with normal bench seating in the front bar room, and various repurposed benches, tables and even barrels elsewhere. The garden, more a yard and stable block, is popular, and there's a function room upstairs. The pool table is upstairs too. Sadly, the vintage juke box is defunct - every time it is repaired it breaks down again, so it is now just decorative.

The walls of Shakespeares are caked in old beer signs and the most pump clips I think I’ve seen in one place. The central U shaped serving counter faces banquette seating to the front, flagstone floored seating in the left front where a grandfather clock also resides, and a couple of small areas at the rear, one with high tables and the other with sofas. I ended up sitting in a long seating area in the right rear next to a dartboard, an old style jukebox and some portable cask dispensing units. There’s a lot going on in here, including a bit of stained glass that I took the time to note down for some reason. I counted seven hand pumps on the counter, which concurred with a board up on the wall that listed the house cask as Abbeydale’s Deception and the guests as Big Trip Brewery’s Eat Sleep Drink Repeat, Byatt’s Phoenix Gold, Liquid Light Brewing’s Less Dangerous, Blue Bee Brewery’s Hillfoot, Moorhouse’s Witches Cauldron and North Riding Brewery’s Parkin Porter. The service was friendly, the atmosphere was good and I enjoyed my pint.