Nestled between high rise block The Old Queen’s Head, Sheffield is a nod to a bygone era

The Old Queen’s Head was built around 1475, not as an alehouse, but as some sort of banqueting hall for those hunting wildfowl in the surrounding marshy ponds. And the earliest mention of this venerable old building – now completely surrounded and isolated by modern structures – comes some many decades later, in an 1582 inventory of the properties owned by George Talbot, the Sixth Earl of Shrewsbury.

This remarkable survivor was being used as a house in 1840, and then, some 20 years later, the pub next door took over the Tudor part. It is Grade II listed, and rightly so. There are two entrances, and neither really gives you a view of the wonderful original until you turn a corner. The ”modern” part of the place is grouped around a triangular bar, nicely furnished, with functional seating, steel chandeliers, and with dozens of fascinating old photographs of Sheffield, the streets and corners, the occupations and the industry. But, around that corner, and to the right of the bar, you are transported back over the centuries – a wooden beamed ceiling, some amazing tracery in the windows, panelled walls and two fireplaces.

It's a lovely contrast that the pub now serves cocktails, and that there’s a good selection of gins. But it really does score blindingly well on the ales front – plenty of guest beers, mostly from local independents (Nailmaker’s Cardinal Sin comes to mind) but also some of Thwaite’s best as well. Regulars love the food – there are lunchtime specials as well as a full menu, and there are offers for kids, too. The value for money is excellent, and – just a little word to the wise here – you’d be sensible to book for the Sunday lunches. In better weather, there’s a huge outdoor area – turn your back on the adjacent brickwork, and look at those ancient timbers instead. A far better view entirely.

The Old Queen’s Head, 40. Pond Hill, Sheffield. S1 2BG Tel 07895 919929