The Ball Upwell Street: Historic 'haunted' Sheffield pub could be closed for good with flats planned

A landmark Sheffield pub, said to be haunted, looks set to be redeveloped.

The Ball Inn, on Upwell Street, in Grimesthorpe is thought to date back over 100 years, but is understood by developers to have not been used as a pub for some time.

Local tradition holds that it is one of Sheffield's haunted pubs, having appeared in the past in lists of Sheffield's most haunted pubs.

But proposals have now been drawn up to re-develop the building, and make alterations inside the building so that it would become eight flats.

A planning application has been lodged with Sheffield Council, as well as architects drawings.

There would be seven one bedroom flats, and one two bedroom flat, under the proposals, which have been lodged with the authority this month.

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Architect Michael Houldsworth said the outside of the building would see little change, and the landmark building would not look much different. He said he understood it was now many years since The Ball had been used as a pub.

He said the building would still fit in well with the surroundings under the apartment plans which have been drawn up.

He admitted he had not heard any stories of the pub being haunted.

He told The Star: "I've been in the building to do measuring up, and I had never heard any ghost stories, and certainly didn't see any signs of a ghost while I was in there.

"But I'm glad that I only heard the story after I'd already been in there!"

According to legend, the ghost of a member of staff is said to haunt the Ball Inn, on Upwell Street. Legend has it the woman killed herself after learning she was pregnant and today she haunts the upper floors, where it is said she has pulled secured shelves from their bracket

In their guide to pubs of historic interest in Sheffield, the real ale pressure group CAMRA described it as displaying a distinctive advertising for a long-lost Rotherham brewery, Bentley’s Old Brewery which dated back to 1820.

More recent descriptions of the pub have described it as having been a traditional opened-out multi-roomed pub with wood tiled floor and snooker room.