The Rising Sun (winner of the 2022 Sheffield & District CAMRA Pub of the Year award, and Pub of the Year for Sheffield West in 2023 and 2025) is a welcoming community pub based in the leafy Sheffield suburb of Fulwood. The pub has a long and rich history, of which Abbeydale Brewery’s ownership is the latest chapter – and today, 19th December 2025, marks twenty years since we took the helm! So we thought it was a good time to share with you a few nuggets of info about the past of our gorgeous pub, while we look forward to the future.
A pub has been situated in the Rising Sun’s location since the 19th century – it first appeared in the 1859 General Directory of Sheffield. The name was chosen for pubs facing east and receiving the early-morning sun, as the original building did. The current building opened when the owners, the Sheffield Town Trustees, agreed to provide land for the widening of Fulwood Road to Sheffield Corporation, in return for the demolition and reconstruction of the original pub – which the widened road (to fit electric tram lines in the early twentieth century) was built right through the middle of! Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see a photo of the original building, with a much more familiar looking Rising Sun in the process of being built almost at a right angle to it!
The existing building opened in July 1904, operated by the Sheffield Public House Trust Company and with J. Rowbotham as the first manager. A newspaper report from 1907 stated that “at the Rising Sun, the demand for teas, Bovril, meat sandwiches, and bread and cheese has been exceedingly great” (we like to think our menu offering has become somewhat elevated since then!)
The pub has always been at the heart of its community, hosting events such as the Nethergreen floral and vegetable show just after the turn of the twentieth century, where no less than FIFTEEN prizes were given out for differing types of award-winning kidney bean.
Mid-century, the license was taken over by the Courage group – and fun fact: according to long time regulars of the pub, until the 1950s, the car park behind the pub was a bowling green, with a wooden verandah spanning the back of the pub to make sure spectators had a good view. Interestingly, we couldn’t find any evidence or photographs of this, but we think it might still be hidden under the tarmac!
The pub had a famous landlord in the 1980s, when Graham Pugh, football player for Sheffield Wednesday in the 1966 FA Cup Final, took over the pub with his wife Susan. And then in July 1992, the University of Sheffield Students’ Union took over the pub, who were in charge right up until…
Abbeydale Brewery took ownership, just in time for Christmas 2005! We officially took over the pub on the 19th December, and reopened on Christmas Eve – some might say we don’t do things the easy way! In the days between taking the pub and reopening there was lots to do, mainly cleaning, painting, installing new cellar kit and restocking everything from beer (of course), wine and spirits to glasses and the all-important crisps and snacks. One of these wintery mornings, whilst sitting outside enjoying a well-earned cup of coffee, our brewery founders Pat and Sue Morton noted the sheer number of dog walkers passing by. There and then, the Rising Sun became dog friendly, and remains so to this day.
Pat’s brother, Chris, was the first Abbeydale landlord. He did not take to it as a long-term prospect and was replaced by Dave and Karen Beaumont. After leaving the pub, Dave continued to work for us as a delivery driver at the brewery, until he retired in 2020. And our long-standing regulars will likely also remember Rob and Julie, who managed the pub for many years including overseeing the original Sunfest! The idea of Sunfest came about one bank holiday weekend when Rob was chatting to Pat, and suggested a beer festival to help to put the pub on the map. “Absolutely!” said Pat. “How many beers could we do?” asked Rob – “At least 100” was the reply. “I was thinking 6!” said Rob. Pat, of course, got his way, and the festival was a real highlight of Sheffield’s beer calendar for many years.
An extensive refurbishment took place in 2014, creating the welcoming and spacious venue we have today. The extension was designed by David Uhlar of Robin Ashley Architects. Much of the interior design was done by David, ably assisted by Dawn Milton, the business’ Finance Manager, and Nicole Tissington, then manager of the pub along with her husband Ryan. Dawn and Nicole did a fantastic job sourcing many of the furnishings, ornaments and pictures which still adorn the pub today.
Since 2018, we’ve had Absolution’s number one fan Garry at the helm, who continues to strengthen the Rising Sun’s links with local people whilst showcasing what we at Abbeydale Brewery do best! And as of 2024, Garry and the pub staff became employee owners of the business, as part of Sheffield Beerworks – our Employee Ownership Trust. The Rising Sun is one of very few pubs in the country to operate under this model and it’s a real confirmation of our values, our ethos, and our independence.
We’re incredibly proud of our pub and the team there and it’s a privilege to be a part of such a long-standing community venue’s legacy. With the brewery celebrating its 30th anniversary next year – and with 20 years of the Rising Sun as a really important part of our history – we’ve got some exciting plans underway which are still under wraps for now… but watch this space closely, all will be revealed soon!
Please do pop in for a pint or two and to sample their fantastic menu! You can read more about the pub, as well as find out how to book a table, on their website here.
Cheers!
Team Abbeydale
*As well as our own research, we’d like to extend thanks to Dave Pickersgill for contributing towards the historical background in this piece. If you enjoyed learning about the Rising Sun of yore, you can find much more about Sheffield’s pubs of historical interest in Dave’s book, Sheffield’s Real Heritage Pubs, which you can download here.
