Butcher Works & Freeman College

This weekend, lots of venues were open in Sheffield for the Heritage Open Weekend.  I love this event as they open doors that you never usually get to see behind.  

My blog lurker pal Nic and I decided to make it a full day out on Saturday, so started with a gorgeous "Eggs Benedict" breakfast at the new Tamper Coffee Cafe on Arundel Street - highly recommended.

 The cafe set the scene for the day really as it has been converted from another old workshop in the city.  They have done a fabulous job of it.

 They have a takeaway, an indoor eating place and they also use the courtyard for outdoor eating too.  I love the way they have reused this great old space.

 Our first port of call, was The Butcher Works across the road.  This was one of the first of the larger workshops that the council decided to find a new use for instead of knocking down.  The gent who showed us around was one of archaeologists who worked on the conversion project.  He showed us some really interesting parts of the exterior and showed us how it would have been added to over the years.

 It is now lovely apartments and also houses some exclusive workshops too, but the big secret that I didn't know beforehand was that some area's have been left untouched.

 They have done a great job of renovating the brick work as these workshops were thrown up in a hurry and the bricks were always substandard.

 One of the rooms left untouched is the grinding room - it has a spooky feeling - making you feel like you have literally just stepped back in time.  they do have plans to restore this further, but at the moment it is left as they found it.  Its amazing.

 I loved the very old pair of bellows in here too.

 After our tour, we wandered to the next building which houses the Freeman Clollege which is part of the Ruskin Mill Trust.  Student who have special needs, can learn skills here that are really unique.  This converted old workshop is stunning and the environment and atmosphere in the college is wonderful.  It is truly a unique place.

 We watched one one man making spoons.  The cutlery they produce is beautiful.

 My pal and I also had a go at weaving and needle felting (we didn't make these I hasten to add).

 They have a gallery where you can view the students work.  It was a very welcoming place - we loved it.

 The building is also home to the Fusion Cafe (which I believe is vegetarian) and where you can see an example of the vaulted ceilings that they had to build when they installed the heavy grinding stones on higher floors.

I love this area of Sheffield and yet its an area that many have never explored.  It's full of lovely surprises.