The Durham Ox: Historic Sheffield pub site set for new lease of life after sale

A historic Sheffield pub which has been empty for 30 years has been snapped up at auction by a local developer.
By David Walsh
Published 6th Jun 2023, 10:26 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2023, 11:53 BST
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The Durham Ox on Cricket Inn Road, near Park Square roundabout, which is a fire-damaged wreck, sold for £160,000 – some £10,000 over the guide price.

A spokesman for Mark Jenkinson auctioneers said it sold to a local developer.

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The deal could herald a new lease of life for the building which opened as a pub in 1862.

The former Durham Ox pub on Cricket Inn Road has sold for more than the £150,000 guide price.The former Durham Ox pub on Cricket Inn Road has sold for more than the £150,000 guide price.
The former Durham Ox pub on Cricket Inn Road has sold for more than the £150,000 guide price.

It was named after a huge bull bred at Ketton Hall whose size made it a national celebrity.

It closed in 1993, and has been badly damaged by fire and vandalism.

The plot is adjacent to several new blocks of flats, raising the possibility of it going the same way.

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The sales brochure stated that the three-storey building is in need of complete renovation but has the potential for a number of uses, subject to planning permission.

The Durham Ox pub on Cricket Inn Road, Sheffield, as it looked in 1983. Photo: Picture SheffieldThe Durham Ox pub on Cricket Inn Road, Sheffield, as it looked in 1983. Photo: Picture Sheffield
The Durham Ox pub on Cricket Inn Road, Sheffield, as it looked in 1983. Photo: Picture Sheffield

The area is very close to the city centre and the two universities.

There were hopes the building would be restored after it was sold at auction for £130,000 in 2020, and air conditioning firm Airflow Cooling announced plans to turn it into offices and warehouse space.

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