Stunning rebirth for historic factory in Sheffield

Butcher Works, once at the centre of the city's cutlery industry, has been given bold new image by leading Sheffield architects Race Cottam Associates

Work is nearing completion on a major project to turn one of Sheffield's most prestigious Victorian landmarks into a new luxury residential, office and retail development in the heart of the city's Cultural Industries Quarter.

Butcher Works, on Arundel Street, an old factory built in 1835 and once at the centre of the city's cutlery industry, has been given a bold new image by leading Sheffield architects Race Cottam Associates and is fast becoming a highly coveted Sheffield address for residential property buyers.

The Butcher brothers, William and Samuel, were one of the most enterprising partnerships in Sheffield in the early nineteenth century, making knives, files, razors and edge-tools.

W and S Butcher continued to make cutlery at Arundel Street until 1959.

Because of its evocative Victorian nature, the red-brick buildings, set around a courtyard and standing in the shadow of the original chimney, have been used as a backdrop for television dramas such as Micawber and Silent Witness.

With many of the original features retained in the new development, its rich heritage will now live on in the form of luxury one and two-bedroomed apartments.

Part of the ground floor has also been converted into office and retail units, bringing a new vitality to this part of Sheffield's Cultural Industries Quarter.

Developers JF Finnegan, working to Race Cottam's innovative plans, are responsible for the quality conversion and refurbishment of Butcher Works which is due for completion in March.

The development is expected to have a massive impact on this area of Sheffield's Cultural Industries Quarter.

Richard Stockley, on behalf of Sheffield's CIQ Agency, said: "Completing the refurbishment of Butcher Works signals a key moment in the regeneration of the Cultural Industries Quarter".

"This Grade two star listed building will not only be home to many new residents of the Quarter, but also house other initiatives which we hope will be announced shortly".

"These will continue the proud and distinguished association of the Works and the surrounding area to metal crafts, skill development and creative activity".

"As key components of the refurbishment, the Heritage Lottery Fund has provided substantial grant funding and the Townscape Heritage Initiative has been important in enabling this prestigious project to come to fruition".

"They have helped safeguard a valuable piece of the City's heritage for future generatio.ns" Louis Gay, project architect for Race Cottam Associates, said: "Because of the conservation constraints on the building, such as keeping the original staircases, the architectural challenge was to distribute the accommodation as efficiently as possible and in a way that makes the design inspirational and attractive".

"From a conservation point of view this project has become a 'labour of love' in that all of the materials have been handled with maximum care and attention.

One of the physically striking features of Butcher Works is the variation in its fabric".

"When you get the opportunity to look closely at the building, it's great to see the different materials and construction techniques used over more than 100 years of development.".

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