The Pearl at Park Hill: Excitement grows as new bar set to open within days at famous Sheffield flats

An eagerly awaited new pub from the team behind Sheffield's award-winning Bench cocktail bar and bistro is set to open next week at the city's iconic Park Hill flats.

The Pearl at Park Hill will be based at 8 Pat Midgley Lane within the huge housing complex overlooking Sheffield city centre, which inspired the hit musical Standing at the Sky's Edge.

It is due to open on Friday, September 8, and its opening hours will be 4pm-11pm Monday to Thursday, 12pm-11pm Friday and Saturday, and 12pm-10pm on Sundays.

The Pearl will be the first bar to open at Park Hill since the 1960s-built estate's four original pubs, The Scottish Queen, The Link, The Parkway and The Earl George, all closed.

Park Hill was hailed as the future of social housing when it opened but was nearly demolished after becoming plagued with crime and anti-social behaviour.

Its fortunes revived after it was made Europe's largest Grade II-listed building and the ongoing renovation works have made it one of the city's most sought-after addresses.

The turnaround has not been without its controversies, from the colour scheme chosen for the first phase of the makeover to the upmarket businesses it has attracted which threaten to price out all but the city's most affluent residents.

When will The Pearl at Park Hill open, what will the opening hours be and what food and drinks will it serve?

The Pearl at Park Hill is the brainchild of Jack Wakelin and Tom 'Ronnie' Aronica, the duo behind Bench, in Nether Edge, which has been named one of the UK's 50 best cocktail bars.

They said earlier this summer that their mission at Park Hill was to create their 'perfect local', serving up a seasonal ever-changing menu, featuring cocktails, craft beers and natural wine alongside bar snacks.

Jack said at the time: "We feel honoured to be taking on a site with such cultural history in the city. Being the largest listed building in Europe, we feel a responsibility to offer something for the community, the city, and beyond.

"We are really proud of the drinks programme at Bench and the opportunity to do something even more drinks-led; harking back to our formative days at Public is a prospect we are super excited about."

What have people said about the new bar opening at Park Hill in Sheffield?

Ronnie added: "We really want this to be a platform to showcase some of the suppliers we’ve worked with since opening Bench, such as Carlingford oysters, Cinderwood Market Garden and Curing Rebel’s charcuterie. Simple, beautiful ingredients and produce, treated well.”

When The Pearl's opening was announced, it generated huge excitement on Instagram, with one person writing how they were 'so excited for this to be the new local' and another commenting 'can’t cope with how many martinis and boquerones will be consumed here!'.