Vocation & Co Sheffield: Former Old House pub on Devonshire Street to reopen under new owners Vocation Brewery

The Old House on Devonshire Street had been run by True North since 1994, when it was known as The Halcyon, but it changed hands at the end of January. Vocation Brewery, which is based in Hebden Bridge and already has bars there and in Halifax and Manchester, is putting the finishing touches to the venue as it prepares to reopen it by the end of the month.

The pub will have a new name, Vocation & Co Sheffield, and will serve mostly Vocation’s own beers, alongside a selection of guest beers and other drinks, including cocktails, wines and spirits, with the new owners keen to showcase the best produce the city has to offer.

It will serve ‘upmarket’ burgers and American-style subs, designed to complement the beers.

General manager Rhys Gibson told The Star that Vocation had chosen to expand to Sheffield because it was excited about the food and drink scene in the city centre.

“There’s a lot going on in Sheffield. There’s a great beer scene, with a really good beer heritage in places like Kelham Island, and there are some really good indepedent food places, like Rudy's Pizza Napoletana just over the road,” he said.

‘This felt like the perfect time to get into a city scene that seems to be expanding and on the up’

“We're a Yorkshire brewery and Sheffield seemed like the next logical step for us as we look to expand our estate. I came to Sheffield quite a lot in my early 20s and it always seemed like a good night out. This felt like the perfect time to get into a city scene that seems to be expanding and on the up. It’s a new city for us but it still feels like home and we’re very excited to open here.

“We’re not just about the beer. We’re very much a bar that serves good beer but we cater for everybody and we will also be serving good cocktails, wines and spirits. We’re keen to incorporate local produce as we have done in our other bars.”

Rhys added that the pub’s new decor will be ‘bright’, as it’s a formula he said has worked at the brewery’s other venues. He said there will be music but there are no plans for live music. The exact opening date has yet to be set but Rhys said he was confident it would be open by the end of April.

Before True North departed, its managing director Kane Yeardley said he was confident he was leaving the pub in good hands and that Vocation would be ‘breathing a new lease of life into our much-loved venue’.