# Halfway Hotel, Highgate



## swedish (Jun 10, 2009)

I just couldn't believe it! I have lived in this area pretty much my whole life. 
Now when I was younger me an my friends wanted to drink while we were underage an the only pub we could find that would serve us was the local karaoke pub called The Halfway Hotel. Every single Friday night we were in here getting wasted watching most people make an idiot of themselves singing away to songs completely out of key. Good times ...I then moved away for uni an on my return a few years ago I went for a walk to see what had changed an when I came to the pub I really couldnt believe what I saw, it was closed down, boarded up an the roof had been removed...

Now personal feeling out of the way, time for a bit of history...
The Halfway Hotel got its name because it lies (yeah you guessed it) halfway between 2 towns, Barnsley an Doncaster an is surrounded with local history. Firstly its said to be the first pub in the area that let Saxon play live (not sure how true this is just something Ive been told while asking around). Other than this its famouos for being the stop off point for people returning from The St. Legar Stakes held at Doncaster Rasecourse. Its also said that when the lucky winners stopped off here from the races they would be greeted by local children an shower them with loose change as they escaped into the pub for a pint an maybe a place to stay the night.

Now not to long before I returned to the area a local developer had bought the land intending to demolish the original building an build a gated Courtyard development of 24 two bedroom apartments finished to a high specification with inner courtyard parking. 
This link is for a PDF file of the plans for the new builds
http://applications.barnsley.gov.uk...c/2008_1013 Proposed Plans and Elevations.pdf
Completion for this was set for September/October 2008 but just after the company had the roof removed the planning permission fell through an the land went back up for sale.

The building now sits slowly rotting at its own pace...that is until local chav got in an started using it as a playground of destruction! :icon_evil

Explored by myself 0509, now on with the shots...

Exterior
Shot from across the road of the main entrance





The pavement outside the pub was also the beer garden. Classy!

As you walk into the car park you are greeted by this inviting sight. 




I believe the doorway to be the exterior entrance for the landlords flat.

I remember sitting under this window one time fighting the urge to blow chunks...




The joys of underage dringking!

A pile of rubble like this cover every doorway at the back of the building






In the Cellar
The whole of the cellar is a boom site, the ceiling that was the floor for the pool room now sits on the floor of the cellar





From the very dark cellar store room into the cellar




An yes that is part of the cleaning system, still in working order!


The Bar
This was the main entrance and Im not surprised its gone but am a bit gutted...There was always a stature of the blues brothers dancing sat on top of the doorway





Closer shot of the anti-shatter glass





From the function room through the bar to the pool room.





Again closer shot of anti-shatter glass but this was located in the function room






The Hotel
The hotel corridor





Shared bathroom of hotel





One of the hotel rooms had the tills sat on a window ledge





Sorry to say but no toilet shot, thought id change it up with a shot of some mould.




And this is the real colour of the mould, unedited. I just cant get over how intense it is

Now there is other areas within the building that I couldn't gain access to this visit...these where the second cellar (which was pitch black an batteries were dying in my touch) an the landlord flat because the entrance for this is in the corner of the pool room, which has no floor...
Hope you enjoyed an sorry if I rambled on to much but I have history with this once beautiful building an Im just glad got the chance to explore it. Even though trashed!  Thanks for your interest...​


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## night crawler (Jun 10, 2009)

What a sad end to a pub.


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## inveigh (Jun 10, 2009)

Love it, wanted to have a look here so many times but thought it was too wrecked! Great pics!


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## Black Shuck (Jun 10, 2009)

Excellent stuff Swedish! Those shots are class mate!. I bet you had to be careful around those holes in the floorboards though!


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## swedish (Jun 11, 2009)

Black Shuck said:


> Excellent stuff Swedish! Those shots are class mate!. I bet you had to be careful around those holes in the floorboards though!



Thanks shuck, yeah had to be really careful. nearly went through twice an the rest of the time paranoid as hell because of the squeaks coming from the floorboards. But good fun to do.



inveigh said:


> Love it, wanted to have a look here so many times but thought it was too wrecked! Great pics!



Cheers Inveigh. Yeah as the shot show it is wrecked an i know this forum probably not the place for it but i had to report it as part of my childhood & couldnt let it go without being noted



night crawler said:


> What a sad end to a pub.



Yeah i no NC, this was THE pub back in the day. Well for me & mine anyway


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## Lightbuoy (Jun 11, 2009)

Pretty trashed -but interesting all the same. The last pic is me fave


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## vanburen (Jun 11, 2009)

Ive had a few ales in there ! its not much changed since after the sunday night discos......


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## swedish (Aug 27, 2009)

Thanks for all the comments on this one guys...
Just a quick update, this building has now been knocked down an all that is left is 1 wall, a hole in the ground an alot of rubble.

From what I have heard the council have told the land-owners that they take the building down or they will do the demo an bill them. This is all because the building is attacting 'anti-socail behaviour' to the area, in other words C.H.A.V.'s are playing in there.

The council did the demo... Unlucky for the land-owner!

Anyway just wishing the old place a fair good bye!


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## james.s (Aug 27, 2009)

Looks very trashed, it's a shame your childhood home has been destroyed like this 
Nice pictures all the same.


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## WillM (Oct 11, 2022)

Does anyone remember Daz the DJ on disco nights in the late 60’s / early 70’s?


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