News: The changing face of Rotherham's High Street

Expanding businesses and new traders with a focus on niche and leisure offers have boosted the vitality of Rotherham's High Street but one current occupant is contemplating the future of retail and possibly taking the business online only.

This month has seen Entertainment Station, The Holy Ghost Tattoo Collective and The Three Cranes Inn take space in the regenerated heritage area. This follows on from Guests Tea Rooms opening up and Cutthroats Barbershop expanding onto the High Street. Another new bar, Sports Box, is due to open at the top of the street next week.

Rothbiz reported in February that Hamby's shoe shop and antique centre would close with well known retailer and regeneration spearhead, Chris Hamby taking a step back.

Inside the former Mason's Jewellers, Emily Dawson has expanded her quirky tattoo studio offering fully custom designs drawn by each artist on the team in their own individual style.

A key part of the town centre masterplan focuses on leisure (along with housing) rather than retail to breathe new life into the centre.

And at 25 and 27 on the High Street, which includes a timber framed building dating back to the 15th Century, the property has been converted back into a pub.

It is thought to have closed as a pub in 1907 and half of the building was demolished in 1953 leaving a twin-gabled façade for retail units on the ground floor. Saved from being lost forever, the new venue serves cask and craft beers, ciders and ales.

The owners said on Facebook: "Thank you to all our customers for a fantastic opening day/weekend, we couldn't get over how busy we were, we are very grateful and hope to see you again soon."

Advertisement

Moving across town from Riverside precinct, Entertainment Station has taken 8 High Street and reported a busy first day in its new location where it has created a hub for fans to buy, sell and swap retro and modern video games, as well as meet with friends and fellow gamers. The ethos is not unlike national retailer, Warhammer, which opened a few doors up last year.

One current High Street store led the way for new, independent retailers when it opened ten years ago as the first retailer to move into a unit in the refurbished Grade II-listed Imperial Buildings. Yella Brick Road, and its "brother" store, Things That Boys Like, have since expanded and merged to take key retail space on the High Street.

Owners Chris and Dannii Paston said last week that they were setting a date of the start of 2020 to make a decision whether to continue to trade in Rotherham town centre, or take the businesses online alone.

Their post on Facebook reads: "It may... just may be time for a change. It's not been the easiest time to trade in the last couple of years, and high street retail has changed dramatically since we opened all those many years ago. We're still here of course, but it's a bit of a slog! We're lucky to have an incredible landlord, wonderful staff and a large number of fantastic regulars.

"We want to have a physical shop with a high street address. We don't want to simply be gigabytes and a URL. So we'll not go down without a fight. We'll try many many things before we shut our doors for the last time. And if we do go elsewhere, we'll still love the high street and have faith in our fellow Rotherham town centre retailers, but for Yella Brick Road and Things That Boys Like, it may be time for a change, whether it be temporary or permanent."

Entertainment Station
Holy Ghost Tattoo Collective
Three Cranes Inn
Guests Tea Rooms
Cutthroats Barbershop
Sports Box
Things That Boys Like

Images: Google Maps / Three Cranes Inn / Yella Brick Road

Read more...

News: Proposed pub plans progress in Rotherham town centre

Work is well underway on creating new pubs and bars in Rotherham town centre, with more being planned.

One project is the conversion of Rotherham's oldest buildings back into the Three Cranes Inn. Set to open this summer, the plan is to create a traditional English pub with a core range of lagers, beers and ciders as well as craft ales and beers.

Saved as part of ambitious regeneration plans led by Chris Hamby, the listed buildings were renovated and used as an antiques centre. New plans show how the ground and first floor will be converted into a pub whilst areas such as the heritage site and museum are to remain unaltered.

A new bar, complete with Rotherham coat of arms, and bench seating is being fitted with removable external seating planned at the outside front.

The former Three Cranes Inn occupied a timber framed building dating back to the 15th Century - the only timber framed building to survive in Rotherham town centre. It was on English Heritage's "at risk register" having been in a state of disrepair for many years.

It was probably built as a merchant's town house around 1600 and an earlier wing consists of a medieval open hall block that retains evidence for a high status "coved" area at one end, known as a dais.

It is thought to have closed as a pub in 1907 and half of the building was demolished in 1953 leaving a twin-gabled façade for retail units on the ground floor.

Advertisement

Nearby, a unit within the historic Imperial Buildings is currently being converted into a sports bar complete with eight massive screens for showing live sports. The plan is to be open for the first game of the football next month.

A new cocktail bar is also proposed for another unit in the Imperial Buildings and new plans have recently been submitted for part of a long closed watering hole.

At Westgate, a new micropub is planned in the building that was previously known as Mondos, and prior to that, Millenium, Dickens Inn, Sports and Jakes Bar.

Since closing as a venue, the building on the site of the former Station Hotel, has had plans approved to create retail units on the ground floor with flats above.

Now plans have been submitted for creating a small pub in vacant space on the ground floor.

The change of use plans, from Nabile Tariq, state: "The flats have been implemented but the retail units and office on the ground floor has been marketed but has still not been occupied. Now the applicant has ascertained that a micro pub could present a viable business use.

"The business concept is to provide a community facility serving the neighbourhood as a traditional pub. All beer will be from local microbreweries."

A maximum capacity of 50 and opening hours of 12 noon to 11.00 pm are proposed

Three Cranes Inn Facebook page

Images: Three Cranes Inn / Google Maps

Read more...

News: New sports bar planned in Rotherham

A unit in one of the borough's most iconic buildings could be converted into a sports bar under new plans submitted to Rotherham Council.

Currently vacant, and most recently in use as the Whistle Stop Sweet Shop, Sheffield-based startup, Sports Box Bars Ltd, wants planning permission to convert a 1,400 sq ft unit in the Imperial Buildings in Rotherham town centre into a drinking establishment.

The restored Victorian, Grade II listed, Imperial Building was sold in a multimillion pound deal at the start of 2019.

It includes period glass shop frontages and internal galleries that complement the conservation area setting next to Rotherham Minster. 19 residential apartments were created on the upper floors.

The plans are from local events organisers and promoters, Brett Slater and Dean Edwards, and show how a new bar with tables and seating can be accommodated in Unit 1. A new disabled toilet on the ground floor is in the plans along with new toilets in the building's basement.

Advertisement

The newly formed company will also need to secure listed building consent in order to make small alterations to the signage and carry out plans to use part of Church Street for outside seating. Internal TV screens will also face outwards joined by new external speakers, although external sound would cease at 11pm.

A premises licence has been applied for to provide opening hours of 10am to 2am. It highlights that, as well as music, the venue would be able to host indoor sporting events and boxing or wrestling entertainment.

If the plans are approved, the micro sports bar is set to open in August.

Further along the High Street, work is taking place to return one of Rotherham's oldest buildings into the Three Cranes Inn. Also set to open this summer, the plan is to create a traditional English pub with a core range of lagers, beers and ciders as well as craft ales and beers.

Images: Google Maps

Read more...