Pubs, Breweries & Related Matters
Rotherham was a town full of pubs, alehouses, taverns or what you will. There are nowhere near as many now as there used to be especially in the middle of town. During the course of the 20th Century the population of Rotherham has tended to move from the centre to new estates much further out. Consequently many town centre pubs have closed and the properties are now shops or building societies. Equally the old habit of a few drinks at lunchtime or on your way home from work at the end of your shift has also passed.
The process is still continuing. There are loads of empty pubs all over the town and the borough. By 2012, the smoking ban, the high price of booze in the pubs and the credit crunch have combined to close large numbers of alehouses in Rotherham. The ones that seem to be surviving and doing well seem to sell food and cater for families. It seems to be the fate of many old pubs to be demolished or converted to housing. Although I haven't seen many in Rotherham, in other places old pubs have become Chinese or Indian restaurants.
Breweries in Rotherham
There are no major breweries in town nowadays. Traditional ales are still brewed by Wentworth Brewery.
"aim to provide the very finest, full-flavour, hand-crafted quality real ales". These are supplied, both on draught and in the bottle, and include award winning ales such as W.P.A., Best Bitter, Needles' Eye, Rock-Spalt, Premium, and Oatmeal Stout. Address:- Wentworth Brewery Ltd., The Power House Gun Park, Wentworth, Rotherham. Fax. 44 (0)1226 747050. Website wentworthbrewery.co.uk.
Rotherham Pubs
The Campaign for Real Ale
Rotherham CAMRA Home Page www.rotherhamcamra.co.uk.