Relaxing moments can be few and far between at Christmas - and especially welcome as a result.
For some that could mean lazing on the sofa watching a classic film, but for many the best 'me time' to be had is in a pub with friends, drink in hand.
And where better to escape the modern ills of runaway consumption than in a heritage boozer, surrounded by the fixtures and fittings of yesteryear and with an atmosphere to match?
It highlights original feature such as old carvings, leaded glass, exposed beams and tiled floors, and details historic events, from a murder in 1859 to the Arctic Monkeys first ever gig. These rare pubs offer the perfect blend of heritage and atmosphere.
Here’s our pick of 15 in the city centre including two of ‘exceptional national historic importance’ that give meaning to Christmas.
1. Sheffield Tap
Sheffield Tap:. Grade II listed and one of only two ‘three star’ heritage pubs in the city centre due to being ‘wholly or largely intact’ for the last 50 years with rooms and features that are truly rare or exceptional’. Photo: ,
2. Dog & Partridge
56 Trippet Lane, S1 4EL. Dating back to 1796, this stone-built three- storey pub has a good frontage of raised lettering: Dog & Partridge and below, Gilmours Windsor Ales & Stouts. The snug (central) has been spared from excessive change. CAMRA states: ‘Cosy and genuinely historic, this little room retains its old fireplace, original door and fixed seating’. Photo: ,
3. Red Lion
109 Charles St, S1 2ND. This early 19th century pub includes fine external stonework. In recent years it has been expanded and refurbished. However, one room with some rare historic fittings remains. Photo: .
4. Rutland Arms
86 Brown St, S1 2BS. The Rutland was built in 1936 and it is still possible to see the layout from that time. In addition to a considerable amount of Art Deco-style interior glasswork (installed in 1988), it has a very impressive tiled exterior. CAMRA says it is on the Sheffield Local Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors due to ‘a reasonable degree of intactness in its layout and some of its fittings’. Photo: .