City landmark given new lease of life

The original gate was set up in 1810 to charge people a toll for travelling through Hunter's Bar

A historic Sheffield landmark which featured in an Arctic Monkeys song has been restored after falling into disrepair.

The wooden Hunter's Bar toll gate between two stone pillars had been in place since 1810, but the latest version of the gate had rotted and fallen away in recent years.

It has now been repaired and a refreshed gate is back in the middle of the roundabout on Ecclesall Road.

Councillor Peter Gilbert, who approached the city council for the works, said thousands of people went past the spot each day, adding: "It's what Hunter's Bar got its name from."

Peter Gilbert examines the previous incarnation of the gate before its replacement

The name Hunter's Bar was carried around the world when renowned South Yorkshire band the Arctic Monkeys mentioned it on song Fake Tales of San Francisco on their debut album in 2006.

The toll gate is believed to have been originally sited a few yards from its current location, but was moved when the roundabout was created in the 1950s, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"It's really interesting how things change, nothing stays the same forever," said Gilbert.

"It's now looking bright and I hope now people will appreciate it, and I want people to know the story of Hunter's Bar."

"It gives us our identity," he added.

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