Iconic Market Tavern building in Sheffield collapses hours after campaigners given promises

The Market Tavern in Sheffield city centre first opened its gates in 1797 and was rebuilt a couple of times before the existing version in 1914 was finished.

The building (under the council’s ownership) has deteriorated over the last 15 years, and just before Christmas it was revealed that the council would remove it for good as they found the building “unsafe”.

Campaigners and local groups tried to stop the work so a second opinion on the structural condition of the building could be secured.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) was told that at a meeting offered to Hallamshire Historic Buildings (HHB), the council agreed to a brief pause on demolition whilst the society looked for external funds to secure the building.

However, only hours after the offer, Sheffield Council informed them that the building “spontaneously” began to fall down by itself.

A spokesperson at HHB told the LDRS: “Hallamshire Historic Buildings is appalled at the way the council have approached the demolition of this historic pub which was a jewel in the crown of local brewery Berry & Co. Ltd and a building of real quality.

“We were alerted to the demolition by an article in the press on December 20. The following day we asked for the demolition to be paused so that all options for the building could be considered.

“The council held a meeting at 4pm on January 9 at which they stated that full demolition would commence first thing the following morning. Hallamshire Historic Buildings negotiated a pause on demolition until midday.

“Support from SAVE (a heritage charity) was offered rapidly within the painfully short timeframe offered. The fact that SAVE intervened so swiftly goes to highlight the importance of the building.

“They offered Sheffield City Council a fully funded immediate assessment of the building by a conservation-accredited structural engineer which the council accepted.

“However the following morning demolition recommenced and within an hour of the HHB being informed, the entire top section of the building had gone.

“The building withstood gales a few weeks ago yet we are being asked to believe that just as a potential lifeline for the building was found, it spontaneously began to fall down by itself.”

A council spokesperson said during work to remove asbestos in November 2023, it was discovered that the chimneys above the Market Tavern in Exchange Street were dangerously leaning into the building.

A potential collapse of the chimneys led to the temporary closure of the Mudford Building next door. Work was carried out to remove the chimneys from the Market Tavern and the remaining asbestos before Christmas, however, Building control found the structure and the building was deemed unsafe and required full demolition as a result.

Following the removal of the chimneys, Mudford Building reopened before Christmas with the Andalus Community Centre returning.

A press release was issued on December 20 announcing that demolition was about to start on the recommendation of building control. Preparation for full building demolition work was continued after Christmas in the New Year.

The spokesperson confirmed that at a meeting on January 9 involving members of Sheffield City Council and the relevant heritage groups, it was asked whether there could be a second opinion before demolition.

As a result, demolition work was halted so this could take place.

But the next day, the turret structure fell back into the building due to its fragility

The LDRS was told: “Sheffield City Council’s building control has reassessed the site and advised that if demolition work is further paused for an extended period of time then it would be imperative that an extended exclusion zone be installed.

“This would necessitate the closure of the Mudford Building and the relocation of the Andalus Community Centre, which would have a significant negative impact on the community.

“A meeting has been held with members of the Castlegate Area Regeneration Board, composed of different stakeholders in the area, who have been given all the information regarding the state of the building and have jointly agreed that the best course of action would regrettably be to continue with the demolition.”

The council said it would try and retain “as much heritage value” as possible from the demolition for potential use within the wider regeneration of Castlegate.