Hofbrauhaus Sheffield: Retro photos capture 'raucous, stein-swigging' fun at famous city venue

It was the cover star of the 'Dirty Stop Out's Guide to 1970s Sheffield', and tales of raucous, stein-swigging dancing, and all-around late-night revelry could have filled an entire book, writes Neil Anderson.

It offered 'a really rollicking Bavarian style night out' and the beer came direct from Germany.

Hofbrauhaus had its own in-house Oompah band and other drinking-marathon-style entertainment. There was even a yearly Miss Hofbrau competition.

Orrett Hanson – who contributed to the book - had one of the fastest rises through the ranks in the history of seventies nightlife.

He started as a glass collector just a few weeks after opening in 1973. He was then duly promoted to bouncer, head doorman and ended up as bar manager for the lifetime of the venue and onwards as it became Dingwells in the 1980s.

He said: "We'd have up to 900 people in there. I used to book the parties in and I’d allocate them to their seats on arrival. We’d have anything up to 100 people in any one party.

"The entertainment was the Oompah band with a DJ in-between. The band went down well – it was a real novelty.

"Thursday, Friday and Saturday were our big nights – the rest of the week was steady. Many people would go straight to the Penny Farthing next door afterwards."

You can check out the book here: https://dirtystopouts.com/products/dirty-stop-outs-guide-to-1970s-sheffield.