A HISTORIC pub at the centre of Sheffield’s industrial heartlands is marking a decade of success as community owned.

The Gardener’s Rest, so called because of its proximity to allotments nearby, was first founded as a pub in 1898 to serve the steel workers of the factories close by.

But threatened with closure in 2016, it was taken on by a band of volunteers and is now owned by some 400 people under a shareholder scheme.

Lawrence Whyte is chairman of the board which runs the pub as a social enterprise, ploughing profits back in to improvements.

Lawrence Whyte, chair of directors at the community owned Gardeners Rest pub in Neepsend, Sheffield. The pub is celebrating entering its 10th year as a Community Pub. It is one of only a few urban community pubs in the UK. Picture by Tony Johnson

placeholder image — Lawrence Whyte, chair of directors at the community owned Gardeners Rest pub in Neepsend, Sheffield. The pub is celebrating entering its 10th year as a Community Pub. It is one of only a few urban community pubs in the UK. Picture by Tony Johnson

"There is a great sense of pride," said Mr Whyte. "We were uncertain, in the beginning, what was going to happen.

"Then of course we had Covid, which closed us for more or less two years, but people were queuing outside on the pavement, 2m apart, to buy our beer.

"Now, when you walk into the pub on a Monday night and its packed, there is a real sense of pride that we have helped to create this."

The pub has what Mr Whyte termed as a 'chequered' history, passing through the hands of several breweries and at one point, boarded up.

Assistant manager Maureen McCredie with former manager Shaun Price behind the bar at the Gardeners Rest pub in Neepsend, Sheffield. The pub is celebrating entering its 10th year as a Community Pub. It is one of only a few urban community pubs in the UK. Picture by Tony Johnson

It was bought by a landlord couple in 2005, and set up as a traditional music pub which it remains today. When they retired, in 2016, a band of loyal locals stepped up to save it.

"As volunteers we feared it would be bought up by a chain or sold and developed into flats," said Mr Whyte. "We had some experts in our group who ran community societies and we set up a crowdfunder to buy shares."

The success was incredible - having set out to raise £100,000 they topped £240,000. And while there is a small staff, most are volunteers.

This is now a pub, said Mr Whyte, that is at the community's hub. There are poetry groups that meet here, music and pilates, drama groups and creative writers.

Lawrence Whyte, chair of directors at the community owned Gardeners Rest pub in Neepsend, Sheffield plays bar billiards on a 100year old table, the only one in the city. Picture by Tony Johnson.

It has proved a success commercially - turning a profit - so much so that teams have run out of room.

In the not-too-distant future, said Mr Whyte, there is to be a new share-offer, to look potentially at freeing up more space with a major capital project.

Backed and supported by The Plunkett Foundation, the pub is bustling today, with a strong music offering. And there is a bar-billiards table, rare in the North, and thought to be the last one left in Sheffield. It is aged over years old.

Tomorrow, supporters, locals and volunteers are to gather for a special celebration marking 10 years since its inception.

Along with music and barbecue food, there is to be on offer a special beer brewed for the occasion by Neepsend Brewery. A photographic exhibition shares its archive.

"This is one of very few urban community pubs," said Mr Whyte. "Most are in villages - and we are one of the first."

Now, people visit for the activities and local groups as much as they do for the beer.

"It's remarkable," he said. "A lot of the people who bought shares aren't regular pub customers. They wanted to retain what they felt was a strong community space.

"It's about having somewhere that serves the community as well as serving beer," he added. "Pubs matter tremendously. It's so important for people to come and socialise."

To find out more visit thegardenersrest.co.uk.