The team behind Sheffield’s critically acclaimed Bench have announced their second venue, The Pearl at Park Hill, will open to the public on Friday 8th September at Midday.
On a mission to open their ‘perfect local’ in the iconic Park Hill development, Jack Wakelin and Tom ‘Ronnie’ Aronica will be serving up a seasonal, ever-changing cocktail menu, craft beer and natural wine alongside bar snacks.
Speaking ahead of opening, Jack said: “We feel honoured to be taking on a site with such cultural history in the city. Being the largest listed building in Europe, we feel a responsibility to offer something for the community, the city, and beyond.”
We are really proud of the drinks programme at Bench and the opportunity to do something even more drinks-led; harking back to our formative days at Public is a prospect we are super excited about.”
Park Hill, an institution and an indelible part of Sheffield’s skyline was home to four pubs when it was built to provide modern housing for the workforce of the city’s steelworks.
The Parkway, The Scottish Queen, The Link and The Earl George played a crucial role in forming and sustaining the communities which flourished there in years to follow and the team behind The Pearl take their responsibility seriously as the first drinks led venue to open on the site since its regeneration by joint venture development partners Urban Splash and Places for People.
The drive to create a local which reflects the history of the building whilst celebrating the here and now of an exciting time for Sheffield as a city extends to the small kitchen. Ronnie aims to push the boundaries of what the classic pub offers. Alongside great drinks will be a small, choice menu of bar snacks, i.e. the perfect ‘drinking food’.
Ronnie explained: “We really want this to be a platform to showcase some of the suppliers we’ve worked with since opening Bench, such as Carlingford oysters, Cinderwood Market Garden and Curing Rebel’s charcuterie. Simple, beautiful ingredients and produce, treated well.”
Added Mark Latham, Regeneration Director at Urban Splash: “We are absolutely delighted to be welcoming The Pearl to the line-up of businesses at Park Hill. We’ve been working hard with the brilliant Bench team for a long time behind the scenes to turn this dream into a reality.
“The opening of The Pearl marks the long-awaited return of a local to Park Hill, adding to the vibrant mix of businesses and facilities already here as the community continues to grow.”
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