A century ago in 1900, City pubs were muckier places where working class men met to slake their thirst,  got paid after work, and met for meetings and to smoke. As a consequence, they were split into lounges and rooms for different groups to enjoy for differing purposes. A door was pushed shut and a room could become an instant smoky committee room for an ad hoc union meeting.

This led to rooms being set out for differing purposes, often there were rooms where women were not alowed, so the builders and factory workers could carry on swearing to each other without causing offence. And almost all pubs had a Lounge ( best room ), and a Tap Room ( tap 'ole ) where people would be allowed in without having to get changed or remove their boots. Most of the time, the beer was a penny cheaper in't tap 'ole.

Billiards Room
Where there was a Billiards table. In Sheffield up until the sixties, many pubs had a three-quarter sized snooker table, but these are all replaced by pool tables now.

Cocktail Bar / Cocktail Lounge
A small bar, where they only mix drinks, and don't serve draught beers. Usually only in nightclubs, hotels or very large or townie pubs.

The Concert Room / Function Room
Big enough for a bit of a brass band to play in, not neccessarily with a stage. Used for wedding receptions aerobics classes formal meetings and other events. Often this room is upstairs.

Family Room
This kind of room became popular in the 1970's and 80's, where you were allowed to take your children if they behaved.

Games Room
This room is often packed with video games these days. It is often a cheap extension on the back of the pub or a former laundry room or outhouse. Sometimes contains a pool table.

Lounge or lounge Bar
The best kept room in the house, often with a carpet and some soft chairs, you could take a woman for a drink in here. This is the most expensively furnished area of the pub.

The Parlour
This is a quiet room kept tidy for guests away from the public rooms.

Public Bar
In an Inn establishment which offers bed and breakfast, the public bar is advertised as open to the general public.

Resident's Bar
In an Inn or hotel establishment which offers accommodation, this bar stays open for the residents only, and their guests, after the main bar ( or public bar ) has closed to the public.

The Salloon or Salloon Bar
The noisy room which is open all day

The Snug
A very small room which can be very cosy in the winter for just a small number of persons. Often around a small open fire in the thick of winter.

Smoke Room
Origionally a room designed for the enjoyment of smoking, maybe matches were free in here and tobacco for sale.

The Tap Room
This might have been the room with the bar in origionally, which sometimes consisted of a couple of barrels of ale on a table.

     Along came the theme pub. And down came the partitions. The theme pub is a device to attract the younger end of the pub market. The bigger the room, the louder the disco and the more lager sold. The additional problem is that you need to keep an eye on youthful drinkers and the last thing you need is lots of small rooms for them to have sex inside and write on the walls.
     The down sides to the theme pub owner is their short lived popularity. When the next pub up the road is revamped, then all your youthful custom relocates to that one. The other problem is that they look very shabby after only six months, so you have to revamp it again to get your cutomers back.

     When the century old internal walls are removed, then the pub finally looses all it's character, what was once a gem of a pub becomes a noisy barn with teenagers throwing up outside every Friday and Saturday night, and a squadron of Black Marias waiting around the corner full of hard coppers with shiny kicking boots and handcuffs. Saturday and Sunday morning the nearby streets are strewn with half drunk glasses, empty pils bottles and pavement pizza.

In Sheffield, there is a small number of pubs in origional condition, with intact partitions. There are a few more with some partitions intact, and a great deal of charm.

The Grapes - 80 Trippet Lane  Apparently in original condition, no lintels, no discos, bags of character and charm.
Featuring Stained Glass windows. The bar is in the corridor, which is where the bar always used to be, tiled walls with very old shaped ceramic tiles.
 

Silver Medal - Best Partitioned Pub In Sheffield

The White Lion - 615 London Road Heeley Bottom

     Although the concert room has been opened out a little, the front of this establishment consists of numerous odd shaped snugs. The bar can be accesed from the corridor on the way in, and the 220 years of this pubs history are displayed on the wall for all to see. There are internal stained glass windows in some of the origional partitions inside, and all the doors are all still working. The door to the bar has the origional etched glass which says Bagatelle Room!
     The beers here are kept to an excellent standard and the atmosphere is quite good. There is a small but cosy beer garden at the back, and the rear bar has an origional stone floor, which is very unusual in this day and age.
 

Bronze Medal - Best Partitioned Pub In Sheffield City Centre

The Washington - 79 Fitzwilliam Street

Two destinctive rooms with the bar in the middle. This independently minded pub has a fantastic and friendly atmosphere, and well kept beers. With a fantastic beer garden at the back this busy city pub couldn't be further from a townie pub. Sheffield's illustrious modern music career is emblazened on the walls, and one of the owners is the drummer from Pulp, the Quirky Sheffield band that won the 90's Blur vs Oasis showdown!

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The Partition
2nd October 2000

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