Capital&Centric reveal first look of rental apartments inside Sheffield’s restored cutlery works

The team behind the restoration of one of Sheffield’s historic listed buildings has revealed a first look at the apartments and gardens, with the first character properties now available to rent.

Social impact developers Capital&Centric have been transforming Eyewitness Works on the city’s Milton Street since 2021, with them featuring on Channel 4’s The Big Interiors Battle earlier this year. They’ve now lifted the curtain on the first apartments, with viewings available to book.

Those snapping up the spaces will be the first to call the stunning former cutlery works their home. Newly-released images show how the redbrick 1852 building has been transformed, retaining all the historic features and charm of the original, but with a distinct contemporary overhaul for the design conscious.

The pet-friendly rental homes include a mix of one-, two- and three-bed apartments, duplexes and townhouses in the Grade II listed works. Residents will also have exclusive access to three peaceful gardens in the internal courtyards – one featuring a giant friction screw press as a reminder of the building’s past – as well as a residents’ lounge, mini cini, co-working space and private dining.

No two apartments are the same, with most being dual aspect and boasting high windows and original features, from fireplaces and safes, to timber beams and trusses. The spaces are given a contemporary edge, fully furnished with HAY furniture, a collection of high-quality, sustainable Scandi pieces.

Tom Wilmot, Managing Director at Capital&Centric, said:

“This is the culmination of years of painstaking work to turn Eyewitness Works from an industrial relic into what is now, hands down, one of the city’s best addresses. It’s such a privilege to be showing people what we’ve done with the place and opening the doors to the first residents.

“As people switch on to the allure of Sheffield there’s more and more people wanting to rent here and they’ll be hard pushed to find something comparable in the city. The nature of the building’s past meant we had a real responsibility to do it justice. We’ve retained as many of the original features as we could, with homes boasting big windows, imposing original features and exposed brick walls.

“Whilst the apartments ooze with character, they’ve also a contemporary design edge. Couple that with the private gardens and we expect the building will really appeal to those looking for something different than the anonymous, white-washed new builds that you find in every city centre.”

The first 20 homes are now available, with viewings open to book via: www.capitalandcentric.com/eyewitness

Located in Sheffield’s Devonshire Quarter, just a stone’s throw from Devonshire Green, Eyewitness Works will eventually feature 97 loft apartments and town houses – with a mix of five different architectural styles.

Known for their transformation of some of the North’s stunning historic buildings, Capital&Centric even brought Channel 4 to Sheffield, with Eyewitness Works featuring weekly on The Big Interiors Battle fronted by AJ Odudu earlier this year. 

The £25m restoration and accompanying new build Brunswick – named after the former Brunswick Hotel that closed its doors in 1964 - has been backed by funding from the South Yorkshire Pension Fund and Homes England, securing the next chapter for the building with an already rich heritage.

The building was once the proud of home of Taylor’s Eyewitness Ltd. The company   set up in 1820, before moving into Milton Street in 1852, where it manufactured and exported cutlery across the world.