The history.
“No eye hath seen better.”
Innovation was forged at Eyewitness. A place where little mesters crafted beautiful cutlery from the raw black coal and iron ore found in the nearby hills.
Its rich history goes way back to 1820 when John Taylor set up a pocketknife and edge tools workshop. Inspired by a line in Shakespeare’s Henry IV – “No eye hath seen better” – Taylor was granted the “Eye Witness” trademark in 1838. The all-seeing eye was used as a recognisable symbol for all, even those who couldn’t read.
In 1852 the business moved into Eyewitness Works, a purpose-built cutlery works, where skilled craftsmen made pocketknives, scissors, and kitchen knives. The workshop started as five single storey bays and was driven by steam. The 40ft chimney stack still stands tall today.
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John Taylor’s daughter Sarah and her husband Thomas Brown Needham, also a cutler, inherited the business in 1854. As business boomed, the factory grew to three floors with an extra nine bays.
By 1879, the firm was known as Needham, Veall & Tyzack. Then, in 1975, Harrison Fisher & Co. took over, renaming the business Taylor’s Eye Witness and working out of the building until 2018.
Standing alongside Eyewitness Works is Ceylon Works, a former horn-cutters works, used for cutlery handles. The offices were at the front of the building to keep prying eyes away from the workshops at the rear, due to the high value of horn in the 1850s.
Brunswick is also a nod to the past, named after Brunswick Hotel which closed its doors in 1964.
This building didn’t just make knives, it played a starring role in the story of Sheffield – the birthplace of blade making. It was here that the little mesters handcrafted the prototypes needed to make the machinery that mass-produced cutlery. It’s where the term ‘cutting edge technology’ was coined. These walls have seen every moment of the steel city’s history.
Eyewitness is no stranger to change, it grew and evolved as our way of life did. But throughout 170 years of change, it stood its ground. It’s a formidable cornerstone, the epicentre of the city’s industrial heritage.
Now, we’re creating something new, but it’s grounded in the past. From the ovens that kept the workers warm in winter, to the safes that held their wages, we’ve kept what we can. Every inch offers a glimpse into the past.
In 2019, Eyewitness became the final resting place for Phlegm’s giants. Mausoleum of the Giants was an ode to Sheffield, a celebration of the creative city and its treasures.
Like the dedicated cutlers that worked here 170 years ago, local legend Phlegm handcrafted towering creatures, dedicating 5 months of his life creating something worth queueing for. And people did. Rain or shine, visitors queued for hours to catch a glimpse of these peaceful beasts before they entered their eternal slumber.
In just 3 weeks, 12,081 pairs of eyes from all over the world gazed upon the art within our walls.
The star of the show.
In 2023, Eyewitness became the star of Channel 4’s show The Big Interiors Battle.
Room by room, aspiring interior designers transformed empty apartments into their dream homes as they battled for a life-changing prize!
Each week, contestants were given a new room to design, meeting the brief set by host AJ Odudu and judge Dara Huang. Tim Heatley and Adam Higgins, Capital&Centric co-founders and the owners of the building, also had a starring role, keeping a close eye on the designers’ work and helping Dara decide who deserved to win.
See something you loved? The homes created by the contestants are all available to rent unfurnished.
Find my home.
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1 Bed - From £1,200
Perfect for couples or those flying solo.
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2 Bed - From £1,400
Ideal for roomies, WFH-ers or if you just like to spread out.
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3 Bed - From £1,995
Homes for three musketeers, families or throuples.
