First look around historic city centre hotel and bar after incredible £850,000 refurbishment

The Three Cranes Hotel on Queens Street was put on the market last year because its former owner, who is in his 70s, ‘did not wish to be burdened with reopening in uncertain times’ in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was snapped up by Peter Clifton and his equal partner, Paul Hibberd, who owns building, roofing and maintenance contractor, City Building Services; and the pair took ownership of the property in November 2020.

Paul said their initial plan for the venue, which is believed to date back to 1820, was to turn it into eight flats; but after learning there had continuously been a bar operating on the premises for the last 200 years they opted to keep it as a hotel and bar and refurbish it instead.

On his vision for the boutique hotel, Paul said: “We wanted to incorporate the new into the old, and turn it into a modern venue. We’ve tried to keep everything Sheffield-based.”

The desire to support Sheffield businesses where possible also extends to their food and drink offering in the bar, which includes a range of spirits and a menu that is available all day and includes sharing boards with a sumptuous selection of Yorkshire meats, cheeses and olives.

There are a total of 14 rooms, nine of which have been completed and are in use, with the remaining five set to be completed by the end of this month.

The hotel and bar welcomed guests for the first time on October 8, and were completely booked up for opening weekend and continues to enjoy a high occupancy rate.

All of the rooms come with kitchenettes, including an oven, stovetop and kettle, a feature introduced by Paul with the aim of equipping the rooms with ‘everything you could possibly want’.

From the Spanish turquoise tiles on display in the bar and the bathrooms that the manufacturer had to make specially, to the ‘industrial’ beams reflecting the city’s heritage that are present in every one of the hotel’s rooms, every single detail within the latest incarnation of the Three Cranes Hotel has been painstakingly selected by Paul and the team.

Early customer reviews for the Three Cranes Hotel suggest it is proving popular with guests who have praised the property for its ‘beautiful refurbishment’ as well as its ‘stylish’ and ‘clean’ rooms and central location.

All of the venue’s windows have been replaced, a detail which Paul regards as being especially important for making the bar look as inviting as possible for people walking past because you ‘couldn’t see through’ the existing ones when Paul and Peter first took over the property.

Joe Teather, who previously worked at the Acorn Inn in Chapeltown, has taken up the role of bar manager, and says Sheffield punters have shown a lot of interest in the new-look bar.

"It’s the kind of place where you can come in for a relax and a drink in town. We’ve got high standards, but there’s nothing pretentious about it,” said Joe.

Paul added: “It’s really cozy, and it’s a great place to come for a drink.”