The Little John is a village pub on Station Road in Hathersage, in the Derbyshire Peak District. It has been a pub here since 1863 and takes its name from the outlaw buried in St Michael's churchyard up the hill. It was recently refurbished throughout, and has a function room for up to 35, eight en-suite bedrooms and two self-catering cottages.
The refurbishment was never about turning the Little John into something else. The oak stayed. The fires stayed. So did the pool table, the dartboard and the seat by the window that somebody always seems to be in. What changed was everything around them: the dining room, the kitchen, the cellar and the care taken over all three.
That distinction matters more than it sounds. It is easy to strip a pub back to bare boards and Edison bulbs and call it restored. It is harder, and better, to leave a working pub working while making everything about it a bit better.
There is a fire lit through the cold half of the year and a snug worth getting to first. Leather tub chairs, dark oak, brass fittings and the sort of light that makes four o'clock in January feel survivable.
Walkers come off the moor still in their boots. Dogs sleep under the tables. People who have lived in Hathersage for forty years drink alongside people who got off the train an hour ago.
What's in here
Still the village local
What has always made it the local, rather than a venue.
Pool and darts
A pool table in the panelled games room and a dartboard that gets used properly, not decoratively.
Dogs, obviously
Welcome in the bar, the garden, both cottages and most bedrooms. Water bowls as standard, biscuits behind the bar.
Somewhere to sit
Booths, banquettes, bar stools and the window seat. Enough different corners that there is usually one free.
The name
Why Little John
Little John, Robin Hood's lieutenant, is said to be buried in St Michael's churchyard a few minutes up the hill from the front door. The grave is marked, it is long, and it has been a Hathersage landmark for centuries.
The pub took the name from him. The oak leaves and crossed arrows on our sign come from the same story, and turn up again on the wallpaper, the menus and the glass.
Established
1863
A 19th century coaching inn, still on the same corner.
The bar
Open seven days
Noon until midnight, every day.
Function room
Up to 35
Refurbished, for parties, wakes and christenings.
Getting here
Two minutes
From Hathersage station, with free parking on site.
Asked often
About the pub
How old is The Little John?
The building has been a pub in Hathersage since 1863 and carries a 19th century coaching inn on its own signage. Villagers gave it the Little John name after the outlaw buried in St Michael's churchyard up the hill.
Has The Little John been refurbished?
Yes. The pub was refurbished throughout, along with the function room. The work was deliberately about improving the building rather than replacing what made it recognisable, so the oak, the fires and the games all stayed.
Are dogs welcome?
Very. Dogs are welcome in the bar, in the beer garden, in both cottages and in most of the bedrooms. There are water bowls as standard and biscuits behind the bar.
Is there a beer garden?
Yes, and it is a good one on a summer evening. Dogs are welcome in it, and so are muddy boots.
Do you show live sport?
Yes. There are screens in the bar for the big games, kept at a volume that still lets the rest of the room have a conversation.
Can I just come in for a pint?
Always. The Little John is a pub before it is anything else, and you are welcome to sit with one drink for as long as you like without ordering food.
