Rose Garden Cafe: Full reopening date announced for popular Graves Park Sheffield venue

The Rose Garden Cafe Partnership, which brings Sheffield City Council together with two community organisations, has announced that the cafe’s indoor seating area will reopen to customers on Wednesday, August 7, a week after scaffolding has been removed.

The city council ordered the cafe to close in July 2022, with just 15 minutes’ notice given for staff to clear the building, after concerns were raised about structural issues. A 15-month campaign to save the building from potential demolition followed, before the council agreed to set up the partnership to work on plans to restore it.

Extensive scaffolding that was put up inside the building, only allowing it to operate as a takeaway from December 2022, can now be removed after a structural engineer said that the roof is in reasonable condition. The lean in the front wall has been found to be caused by poor foundations and plans are being made to rectify that as part of the building’s restoration.

Members of the Rose Garden Cafe Partnership, made up of representatives from the council, the Friends of Graves Park and the Save the Rose Garden Cafe Campaign, say they are ‘fantastically positive’ about the news.

The partnership met on Friday (July 19) to discuss the timetable for reopening. In a statement released afterwards, chair Chris Hallam said: “We are having a special ‘grand reopening’ event from 9am (on August 7) and we invite everyone who has supported us for everyone to come and join us for this milestone event.

Marvellous

“Obviously, this is marvellous news and people will now see physical action taking place including the removal of the scaffolding and the new flooring, and it is also tangible evidence of our partnership working on common goals for the benefit of the community.”

Partnership members will run an information and fundraising stall to update the public on fundraising plans and next steps for the building restoration and refurbishment.

“We also discussed current, proposed fundraising ideas, activity and potential sources of funding and this includes local sponsored walks and ongoing fundraising by the Friends of Graves Park which has already raised £11,193.14 via donations,” said Chris Hallam.

“Fundraising will be the main focus of our next meeting, because we now need to raise the funds for the work on the wall and the full restoration and refurbishment of the cafe in line with our objective.

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“We are aiming to produce an estimated cost plan for the restoration and refurbishment for our next partnership meeting on August 9 and we are providing a further progress report to the council’s charity trustee sub-committee on September 9,” he said.

“December 2025 is the 100th anniversary of the grant of the land by JG Graves and it is our ambition to have the Rose Garden Cafe fully restored and refurbished by this date.”

The cafe will be operated by friends Kelsey Booth and Julie Collins under the name Dukes on the Rose Garden. Julie managed the cafe for BrewKitchen and took over on a temporary tenancy at will when the company stood back.

They also co-manage the cafe at Norfolk Park.