The Ship Sheffield: New landlord revealed as historic 'haunted' pub re-opens and what will change
Dating back nearly 200 years, the Ship Inn is one of Sheffield’s oldest pubs.
And as he takes over the reins at what he sees as a small piece of the city’s history on Shalesmoor, new landlord David Ambler-Young reckons it is one of many haunted pubs he has worked at.
David has drawn up plans for how he would like to write the next chapter at the historic local which he understands dates back to 1833.
He has worked in a number of pubs across the city, including what is now called the Francis Newton, in Broomhall, the Walkey Cottage, in Walkley, and Wood Lane Countryside Centre, between Stannington and Malin Bridge.
He took over the venue on Saturday, re-opening the pub after it had been briefly closed since New Year.
He said: “I love the building, and want to help preserve it going forward. It’s the most beautiful pub I’ve worked in and it’s got great character.
“There are tales of it being haunted in the cellar. The story goes that there were two smugglers in the cellar, and they died when it flooded when the great Sheffield flood of the 1860s arrived.
“There are a lot of people who have said they have heard things in the cellar.
“But I think every pub is haunted!”
Going forward, he wants to keep it as a traditional pub, but also to bring back food.
Initially, that will see small items available, but in the longer term, he hopes to extend the kitchen so that he can bring in more variety and larger meals.
I know a few people were disappointed to see it closed after New Year
He said: “I know a few people were disappointed to see it closed after New Year, so I wanted to get it back open as quickly as possible for the community.
“We’re going to start doing food, and initially it will be like tapas - not Spanish, but smaller dishes. We hope to extend the kitchen at some point in the future, but that would be subject to planning permission.”
David is also hoping to bring back the Thursday quiz to the venue, and to launch open mic nights for local musicians.
Bosses at Admiral Taverns say they are pleased to have David at the helm of The Ship.
Business development manager Anthony Lowther-Knowles said: "I am absolutely delighted to welcome David to the Ship Inn. His passion for the site is tangible and I'm very much looking forward to seeing him bring his vision for the pub to life.
“I know David has fantastic plans in the pipeline to cement The Ship Inn at the heart of the community and so on behalf of myself and the whole team at Admiral Taverns, we'd like to wish him the very best of luck in his endeavours."