The White Lion, Heeley, Sheffield

The green tiled façade and decorative front window glazing certainly catch the eye as you get close, and thankfully the multi-room interior proves to be just as interesting so its no surprise to find that the pub features on Camra's regional heritage inventory. It's certainly not a relic, though, with regular live music in a large back room being another important feature, and the place was doing good business when we stopped by. My note taking had almost stopped by this stage of an evening meander, but the Abbeydale Moonshine (one of a good number of real ales on handpump) was in fine form. Overall, from my brief first visit, I would suggest that this one is well worth seeking out (and I must make a proper visit another time).

The White Lion official site with event details - www.whitelionsheffield.co.uk

The White Lion official site with event details - www.whitelionsheffield.co.uk

The White Lion is an attractive multi roomed pub on London Road in the southern suburb of Heely. Perhaps its finest feature is the decoratively tiled corridor into which you enter. The servery is located here as well, past a door leading into a small snug which also has access to the bar. The snug has very limited space and seating as you would expect and there are framed bank notes and items from the Titanic brewery on the walls. It’s a nice place to stop for a drink as you can also admire the stained glass front windows and the etched glass panes in the door from this room. On the other side of the corridor, opposite the bar, there are a couple of small rooms, not much bigger than the snug. They’re both quite cosy, smart looking rooms and one which boasts some plush furniture and a nice fireplace, is signed as being the smoke room. Eventually the pub opens out into a wide rear room. To the left, there is a sparsely furnished area which seems to serve no real purpose other than to provide further access to the bar. Steps take you up onto a broad raised area with dark beams and muted lighting giving it a nice ambiance. A high ledge runs around the room, upon which an odd collection of barrels, pots, buckets, old suitcases and a wheelbarrow can be seen. A few pictures of local scenes hang from the walls alongside some black and white photos of the likes of the Rolling Stones and Meatloaf which perhaps reflects the live music the pub puts on. A door at the back of the room leads out to a beer patio with plenty of benches. A satisfying row of hand pumps provided a temping ale selection of Wytchwood Hobgoblin, Thornbridge Sequoia and Jaipur, Blue Bee Nectar Pale, Abbeydale Moonshine, Tetley’s Best and Ossett Silver King. The barman, who greeted me like I was a regular, served me a good pint of the Nectar Pale which I enjoyed whilst exploring the pub which I’d expected to be a lot busier given that there was a game at nearby Bramall Lane due to kick off soon. I enjoyed my visit here and was glad that I made this last minute addition to my itinerary. Whilst it doesn’t quite match up to some of the city’s finest ale houses, it is still worth making the effort to seek it out and is a must if you find yourself in Heely.

I'd not been in here for a couple of years before my recent visit, but I had heard that the pub had been taken over by the same owner as the Chantrey and the Prince of Wales in nearby Woodseats, so I thought I'd check it out. Visually not much has changed: there's still the tiled corridor next to the bar, the diverse and interesting rooms to either side, the bare-boards of the room with the pool table to the rear - except that the pool table is no more, having been replaced by small tables and stools which are presumably easier to clear away when there's a band on. The main difference from previous visits was aural: the incredibly loud and mostly pretty awful music apparently coming from a juke box. I took refuge in the small room to the right, where it was almost possible to ignore the noise. There's an excellent collection of old and very old pictures of Heeley and Sheffield in here, mostly prints and engravings, which are well worth a closer look. The upholstered bench seating has seen better days, but this is still a pleasant room for a quiet chat or to read your paper in. As well as the bar in the corridor, there are serveries in the front bar to the left and in the back bar too. The second room to the right is made of glazed wooden partitions, and in pre-smoking ban days this used to fill up with smoke as there was no ventilation; thankfully those days are behind us. On the bar were around half a dozen hand pumps, with two from Thornbridge, Bombardier, Hobgoblin and Tetleys Bitter among them: a reasonable if not inspiring collection. Beer quality is still good and at £2.60 a pint the Tetleys is now at a lower than average price for Sheffield. Worth making the trip out of town for the tiled exterior and the internal decor, and if you're out this way for the Sheaf View it would be a shame not to call in here too.