"We thought this would make a great place for a bar," said Jamie who, with Jon, already ran a company importing beer from the Czech Republic and had just opened a café bar in York.

"We pushed our heads to the glass and looked through and found there was a bar already in there. We stood there thinking this should be a bar and it is…"

Their train of thought picked up speed to an extent that the two men – both from Sheffield – are now preparing to open The Sheffield Tap in December.

It's been a long and often difficult and frustrating process but work is well under way on restoring the grade II listed building with its ornate ceiling, original tiles and mahogany bar.

Jamie and Jon have only been able to press ahead with the £200,000 project thanks to a grant from the Railway Heritage Trust.

However, they say the results will be worth waiting for – a lovingly restored bar with at least 300 different types of bottle beers and 20 draught beers, including eight real ales.

"We are looking to put back what was always there," said Jamie. "The idea is that it is the tap bar for Sheffield."

The original refreshment rooms date from 1904 when they were a resting place for first class passengers. There was also a snug and a dining room.

In 1975 the building became a station waiting room, then it was used for storage. "It was at least six feet deep in rubbish when we took it over. The ceiling had collapsed. It was in a sorry state."

It's the bar and snug that are initially being refurbished, with the dining room earmarked for a possible second phase of "a nice restaurant or something along those lines".

For the time being Jamie and Jon are aiming to create something akin to a Belgian beer café, with entertainment such as acoustic and jazz nights on Thursdays.

They are directors of Pivovar Ltd, the only UK importer of Bernard beer from the Czech Republic, and owners of the Pivo café in York, which also involved restoring a listed building.

At Sheffield station they have secured a lease in a deal with Network Rail and East Midlands Trains.

Finding the money was a struggle for the small private company, with no access to public funds.

Nobody wanted to invest, despite the project "ticking all the boxes" – a new business, creating employment and boosting regeneration.

"Everybody wants this to happen but it's only us making it happen," said Jamie. "It is very frustrating but we are all set. There is so much energy after all this time. It's exciting.