The Ball Inn is on the Sheffield Local Inventory of Historic Pub exteriors. It displays distinctive advertising for a long-lost Rotherham brewery. Bentley’s Old Brewery (Rotherham) Ltd. was founded by Robert John Bentley in 1820. The Company was taken over by Bradford-based Hammond's United Breweries in 1956. Hammonds subsequently joined with Sheffield-based Hope and Anchor and John Jeffery and Co. (Edinburgh) in 1960 to form United Breweries. Northern Breweries took over another sixteen brewery companies between 1960 and 1962. In 1962, another merger with London–based Charrington brought Charrington United Breweries. A year later, this was followed by the purchase of Glasgow-based, J.and R.Tennants. Finally, in 1967 a merger with Bass, Mitchell and Butlers brought Bass Charrrington, one of the 1970’s ‘Big Six’ UK brewing companies.