Penny Black: 'Surprisingly good' Sheffield pub set to close for major refurb

A well-known Sheffield city centre pub, which is popular with football fans, is set to close for a major refurbishment.

The Penny Black is located on Pond Hill, beneath the Royal Mail delivery office, across the road from Sheffield Interchange bus and coach station, and just a stone’s throw from the railway station.

The Greene King pub is due for a £200,000 makeover this autumn, which the pub chain claims will help ‘maximise the trading potential’.

There will be a focus on live sport and entertainment, including music and quiz nights, and there will be a ‘basic pizza offer’, the Greene King website states.

‘Pub will remain at heart of local community’

It will become a ‘Nest Pub, the latest concept from Greene King, which says they will be aimed at those with pub management or assistant management experience looking to take a step up and run their own business.

A Nest Pubs franchisee, it adds, ‘will be able to get the keys to their own Nest Pub for just £3,000, including agreement fees, inductions and on-site training’.

A spokesperson for the Penny Black said: “The Penny Black will be undergoing significant investment later this autumn and we are also recruiting for a new franchisee to manage the pub, following the refurbishment.

“We are still in the early stages of planning. However, we can confirm that the pub will remain the heart of the local community with a focus on live sport and entertainment and also a delicious pizza and pie food offer. We look forward to sharing further detail closer to the time.”

‘Surprisingly good pub’

The Penny Black has a 4.2/5 rating from 655 Google reviews. It’s been described by customers as a ‘friendly’ pub with ‘great food’ and a ‘good atmosphere’.

One reviewer called it a ‘surprisingly good pub’, adding ‘was expecting a bit of a rough pub, but the staff were excellent, beer was good and no problems with anyone inside’. It is not known at this stage exactly when the pub will close for refurbishment.

Anyone interested in running the Penny Black as a franchisee can visit https://www.greenekingpubs.co.uk/pub-to-let/penny-black-sheffield.