At home in Digbeth

We are proud to be part of the area’s history, having started our studio in Digbeth at The Custard Factory 30 years ago, and our home remains in nearby Bradford Street to this day.

Digbeth was not only the medieval birthplace of Birmingham but its industrial heart, crammed full of Victorian factories, small workshops, schools and workers’ family homes.  Over the years it’s been transformed into a creative hub with a rich mix of innovative small businesses run by designers, makers and entrepreneurs working in cutting edge creative industries of music, fashion, design, film, gaming and education.

Digbeth is an area that continues to evolve and we are now helping the new owners Oval, working alongside Studio Egret West, reinterpret spaces across the estate, re-animating previously unused areas to allow new and expanded independent retail, café, market hall, event and public spaces which are enriching the area’s cultural offer.

The light touch design solution aims to meet the demand of contemporary life while remaining respectful to the history and rich character of the industrial buildings that remain and consciously avoiding the sterile approach of many new office and residential buildings. The new scheme will see the Custard Factory and Bond Company reimagined, the River Rea exposed and celebrated, Fazeley Street and Floodgate Street reactivated, and Brunel’s Duddeston Viaduct turned into a new publicly accessible sky garden, Viaduct Park. Much need homes will be provided alongside shops, restaurants, cafes and leisure facilities, all robust and straight-forward enough to attract a diverse mix of tenants to this constantly evolving dynamic cultural hub.