Howard, 57 Howard Street, Sheffield, Yorkshire
Sheffield pub history index
Directory of Pubs in the UK, historical public houses, Taverns, Inns, Beer Houses and Hotels in Sheffield, Yorkshire.
Howard Hotel, 57 Howard Street, Sheffield - licensee Tom Sharp
Kindly provided by Bill Swift
Howard Hotel, 57 Howard Street, Sheffield - in 1965
Kindly provided by Bill Swift
Howard Hotel, 57 Howard Street, Sheffield - in December 2014
Kindly provided by Stephen Harris
Residents at this address.
The 1889 survey map
The 1889 survey map shows that The Howard Hotel was (as it still is) in a block on the corner of Howard Street and Pond Street, extending along the latter as far as Surrey Lane. *Note that there was another Howard Hotel in Howard Hill, in the Steel Bank area of the city.
The beginnings of this business are a little unclear. Unfortunately there is a gap in the available directories of Sheffield between 1862 and 1879, which is a big hindrance. It is suggested that the Howard Hotel was opened in 1864, but I’ve not been able to find an original source for this. There is an advertisement in 1864 for a servant girl for a Howard Hotel in Howard Street and it may be this that gave rise to the suggestion. However, there has to be some doubt about this, as I hope to demonstrate.*
The 1850 survey map
The 1850 survey map does not identify a hotel in this location - though there were buildings. I have annotated a section below with the relevant building numbers. We will see later that the Howard Hotel came to occupy 57 and 59 Howards Street and 19 Pond Street. We should note here that Pond Street was renumbered in the 1870s, so 19 did not retain this number.*By reference to White’s 1856 and 1862 Directories and several newspaper adverts, we can establish that the site we are interested in was, in the 1850s and 1860s, occupied as the business premises by Samuel Mettam, horn and bone merchant, and horn presser, etc. Known as the Howard Horn Works, it included:*
59 Howard Street, the corner site which was sub-let as a dwelling and shop - a druggist in 1856 and a butcher (Mr Kemp) in 1861.
57 Howard Street, which was a dwelling in 1851, but may have provided offices for the works subsequently.
53 and 55 Howard Street, which were part of the works.
19 Pond Street, which was a sub-let dwelling,
The freehold of Howard Horn Works was offered for sale in Sep 1861. By whom and whether it sold is not clear, but Mettam remained as occupier. The advert describes the premises in some detail, including two “messuages” (both shops), one on the corner of Howard and Pond Streets occupied by Mr Kemp (butcher above), the other adjoining in Howard Street by Mr Stacey (assumed to be no 57).
There is no mention of a beer house or hotel. *
In 1868 the freehold of Works was again put up for sale, with the same scope as 1861, and again there is no mention of a hotel. *
The advertisement mentions the building of the nearby Midland Railway Station (which was under construction and opened in 1870), and suggests that the corner plot was ideal for retail purposes, or could be converted to a “dramhouse”. The buyer was a Mr Hobson, who paid £2,125. *
In neither of the above adverts is 19 Pond Street mentioned, but it is described as part of the works in the concurrent directories and in 1871 was occupied by Mr Thomas Hodgkinson, who then operated the bone pressing works.*
Only a few weeks after the 1868 sale, an advert appeared to let a beer house on the corner of Pond Street and Howard Street, which must have been the former butcher’s shop at no 59. The advertiser was Thomas Hodgkinson. *
In 1869 George Rothwell of Howard Street applied successfully for a beer license, but the address or hotel name are not mentionedi. However, an Oct 1870 article mentions George Rothwell as the host at the Howard Hotel, Howard Street. *
The Howard Hotel is listed in the 1871 Census (George Rothwell). It is not numbered in the manuscript, but it adjoins 19 Pond Street which would suggest 59 Howard Street. *
In Aug 1971 Rothwell applied (successfully I think) for a spirits license and the Howard Hotel is mentioned as Rothwell’s in 1873 (Sheffield Daily Telegraph - 09 May 1873)*
In 1876 the freehold of the Horn Works was again for sale. *
The advertisement confirms that the Howard Hotel now occupied the former nos. 57 and 59 Howard Street and was leased to Pond Street Brewery (ie Thomas Rawson & Co). This is the last we will hear of no 59 as it was merged with 57. *
The whole property was sold to Mrs Elizabeth Parsonage, a widow late of the Fleur-de-Lis Hotel, for £4,825. She became the landlady of the Howard Hotel. *
So, we have proof that the Howard Hotel was at 57-59 Howard Street in 1876, proof that no. 59, the butcher’s shop, had been converted into a beer house by the freehold owners in late 1868 which they then offered to let, good evidence that there was a licensed beer house here from 1869, and, from the sale advert, fairly strong evidence that it was not a beer house or hotel in mid-1868. *
This leaves us with a quandary over the 1864 advertisement. My inclination is that it may well have been an error, and referred to the Howard Hotel in Howard Hill rather than Howard Street. They were certainly advertising around this time and it would be an easy error to make. *
In 1877 Mrs Elizabeth Parsonage of the Howard Hotel, 57 Howard Street, which had a beer and wine license, applied for and was granted a publican's license. The report says she was the owner of the property and had recently moved there. *
1881/Elizabeth Parsonage/Licensed Victualler, Widow/52/Eckington, Derby/Census
1881/John Parsonage/Son, Printer Compositor/21/Sheffield, York/Census
1881/Elizabeth Parsonage/Daughter/18/Sheffield, York/Census
1881/Frank Parsonage/Son/13/Sheffield, York/Census
1881/Ada Shaw/Grand Daughter/5/Sheffield, York/Census
1881/Thomas martin/Boarder, Brewer, Widow/63/Leeds, York/Census
1881/Annie Bingham/Boarder, Pianist/31/Sheffield, York/Census
1881/John Bland/Boarder, Clerk/29/Manchester, Lancashire/Census
1881/Jane Bland/Boarder Wife/29/Oldbury, Lancashire/Census
1881/Joseph Hibberd/Boots/40/Sheffield, York/Census
1881/Emma Hutchinson/Domestic Servant/38/Sheffield, York/Census
1881/Elizabeth Vickers/Domestic Servant/19/Birmingham, Warwick/Census
1881/Jane Bartlett/Visitor, Lady/40/London, Middlesex/Census
In 1883 the whole of the former horn works was again offered for sale, with Mrs Parsonage, the owner, occupying the 10 bedroom hotel. The advert says the hotel extended to Surrey Lane, so was now at the full extent we can see today, having expanded into 19 Pond Street. *
Looking at the photos one can discern the 3 properties making up the hotel, ie 59 Howard Street, the former corner shop, 57 Howard Street and adjoining 19 Pond Street. *
In mid-1884 the Howard Hotel was offered for sale or let as a result of the owned retiring. Mrs Parsonage died on 8 Aug 1884 and in Jan 1885 the hotel was again offered to let, now with 14 bedrooms, then a few weeks later all her property was put up for auction. The hotel and the works (now called the Brittain Works) were offered separately but as neither reached their reserve they were withdrawn. A few days later the hotel was offered to let through Pond Street Brewery stating that it was in the occupation of Mrs Parsonage’s executors. We might assume that Rawsons had taken a lease on the hotel from her estate, but it is possible that they bought the freehold by private treaty. *
The hotel seems to have continued operating uninterrupted from the time of Mrs Parsonage’s death, but I have been unable to find any tenant’s names, or ownership details until 31 Mar 1890 when Mr Luke Beatson, landlord of Howard Hotel, died. *
In 1890 & 1893 (vacancy adverts) and 1891 (Census) the licensee was his widow Mrs Hannah Beatson.*
A report in 1894 tells us that the license for the Howard Hotel had to be renewed annually and on this occasion the police objected because of an incident of disorderliness the previous year. It was described as one of the best houses in the district, with 10 bedrooms. Mrs Beatson's license was renewed with a caution as to future conduct. *
From the 1901, 1911 and 1921 census we can confirm that the landlord was Tom Sharp. He was formerly landlord of the nearby Ball Inn, 203 Pond Street (1891 Census). An advert dated 17 Oct 1899 shows Sharp still at the Ball, which means he moved between then and Apr 1901. *
1901/Tom Sharp/../../Whites Directory
1911/Tom Sharp/../../Whites Directory
In 1911 census at 57 Howard St Sheffield, Sheffield, Yorkshire
Tom Sharp, Licensed victualler aged 49 years, and born in Sheffield, Yorkshire
Elizabeth Sharp, Wife aged 48 years, and born in Sheffield, Yorkshire
John Young, Son in law, Hotel waiter aged 26 years, and born in Sheffield, Yorkshire
Harriett Young, Daughter, Hotel waiter aged 25 years, and born in Sheffield, Yorkshire
Tom Sharp Junr, Son, Hotel waiter aged 20 years, and born in Sheffield, Yorkshire
Lilly Sharp, Daughter, Hotel waiter aged 17 years, and born in Sheffield, Yorkshire
Esher Sharp, Daughter, Hotel waiter aged 15 years, and born in Sheffield, Yorkshire
John Sharp, Son aged 12 years, and born in Sheffield, Yorkshire
Beatrice Littlewood, Domestic servant aged 20 years, and born in Sheffield, Yorkshire
Elizabeth Batty, Domestic servant aged 19 years, and born in Sheffield, Yorkshire
In 1921 census at 57 Howard St Sheffield
Tom Sharp, Licensed victualler aged 60 years, and born in Sheffield, Yorkshire Employer
John Sharp, Son, Licenced Victuallers Assistant aged 23 years, and born in Sheffield, Yorkshire
Stanley Fazackerley, Son-in-law, Footballer Professional, Everton Football Club aged 29 years, and born in Preston, Lancashire
James Prosser, Waiter, Tom Sharp aged 29 years, and born in Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Scotland
In 1925 the license passed from Tom Sharp to his son, also Tom Sharp. *
Tom Sharp senior died 5 Jul 1927. *
Though he was still the landlord in 1936, by 1939 Tom Sharp jr had retired and Cyril Ernest Beck was landlord. *
It was still a Rawson’s pub in 1933. *
The 1965 photo shows the Howard Hotel as a Tetley’s house. At present, this is a Marston’s pub with Mr Robert Noel Davies as landlord (since 1910) *
Thomas Rawson & Co. Ltd, Pond Street Brewery, Sheffield, was taken over by Duncan Gilmour & Co. Ltd. in 1946 after the Pond Street brewery was destroyed by bombing. Gilmours was, in turn taken over by Joshua Tetley & Son Ltd in 1954. *
* Provided by Bill Swift
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