Friendship Hotel, Sheffield

The Friendship was rebuilt by Thomas (Tom) Edward Batty, in 1903 and advertised as, ‘Re-built, Re-furbished and up-to-date.’ The building was built to serve the growing town of Stocksbridge with miles of steelworks and thousands of workers. Peak employment was 6500. There is imposing stonework above the central doorway, ‘1903’ and the initials ‘TEB’ can be clearly seen. This also includes ‘a handshake:’ This symbol is that of the Stocksbridge Band of Hope Industrial Co-operative Society Ltd. founded in 1860. Tom Batty was a bottler of beers (including ‘Bass and Worthingtons’ fine ales’). The pub has an example of one.

The Friendship retains a significant part of its original fittings and fixtures in 3 of its original 4 rooms and a lobby bar as well as plenty of tiling. It was sold by Enterprise Inns, taken on, redecorated and reopened, with Bradfield real ales, in December 2014. The new owners have carried out a sensitive refurbishment preserving and enhancing the historic interior.

The inner lobby has floor to ceiling tiling in shades of green. Walk into a lobby bar area still with the original panelled counter with pillasters and superstructure above (top section painted grey) that would have originally contained shutters / screens. The bar back fitting looks to be the original with similar pilasters to those on the counter front but the top does have some modern work such as new top shelving and the lower shelves have been replaced by fridges. Tom Batty was a bottler of beers (including ‘Bass and Worthingtons’ fine ales’) and the pub has an example of one.

The room on the front left (originally, the Tap Room, currently, the Pool Room) has a door, original fixed bench seating around most of the room. In the early 1970’s, the door to this room was moved from the wall perpendicular to the entrance to the current position which is why the fixed seating is missing from the right hand wall and the front window section stops short of where the original door was. There is a row of bell pushes all around the room in a wood panel above the seating but the cast iron fireplace is modern. The most impressive feature of this room is the tiled frieze around three sides of the room (not on the front wall side) and on the rear wall there are five tiled panels of plain cream tiles with a green glazed edging. In the 1960’s, the Tap Room was known locally as the ‘gambling casino,’ bets of £1.00/point on dominoes was the norm.

In the early 1970s the door on the right of the entrance was removed and the wall around the front right hand room to create a completely opened-up space to the lobby bar with modern fixed seating and, in 2014, the addition of a wood burner.

The middle left room (originally, the Games Room, currently, the Quiet Room) has a double door width doorway, a good sectioned ceiling and a fireplace where the lower part looks modern but the mantlepiece is old as it includes a lovely tiled painting of Venice signed by W Yale. The fixed seating is modern. The internal window is a later addition, at the same time as the movement of the door in the Tap Room.

William (Billy) Yale was born in Newport, Shropshire in 1843. He was employed by Copeland from c.1869-83, where he was known for painting marine views and winter scenes. After he left Copeland, he set up his own studio on Liverpool Road in Stoke-on-Trent advertising himself as 'a Tile and Slab Decorator'. During this time, he began decorating sagar ware plaques which he acquired from other potteries and fired in a kiln attached to his premises.

At the rear left up three steps is a function room, originally the billiard room, which still retains its original bench seating on a platform for easy viewing of games. There are original bell pushes around the room but it has lost its fireplace (and the full sized snooker table).

Rear right of the ground floor includes a room (originally a restaurant) which was last used in 1975. It is currently derelict. However, a restoration is planned. The building was built with a concert room on the first floor.

In November 2022, nine en suite rooms opened on the first floor in order to allow the pub to offer accomodation.

There is also an active bowling green behind the pub. It is believed that this was originally built as part of the pub. It is currently used by Stocksbridge Friendship Bowling Club (founded 1911) on a long-term lease (over 10 years to run (2015)).