Until the 1960s, Sheffield was home to a tram system that did much more than simply connect the high street and the universities to the city’s outlying retail parks. Electric and horse-drawn lines made it all the way uphill to Walkley and Crookes, and stretched far down Abbeydale Road and Chesterfield Road. The Heeley horse tram depot was on Albert Road, just behind where you’ll now find The Tramshed. You’re unlikely to see much equine life resting there today, but the selection of beers and food at least make it a great place for humans, if not horses, to graze.
Iron girders arch over The Tramshed’s main room, where high floating tabletops and anglepoise-style light fittings stick out the walls opposite wooden bar shelves heaving with spirits. Lush greenery hangs from long gutter-type planters nearby and, in the fridges below, dozens of craft beers are waiting to be sampled.
The winding wooden staircase (complete with makeshift wine cellar tucked underneath) leads upstairs. Here, regularly changing artworks are scattered across the walls, and the long benches that fill the rest of the room make a space that’s a cross between a Bavarian beer hall and a Brooklyn loft hangout.
The bar's kitchen is run by the folks at Dumpling City, meaning you can indulge in delicious pan-Asian vegan dumplings and dishes. The bar's events calendar, meanwhile, includes vinyl DJ sets and tasting nights. You’ll only wish the trams were still running to get you there a bit quicker.
- Words by
- Robert Cooke
- Images by
- Gemma Thorpe
