The Griffin Report: How Birmingham's Assay Studios has retained its rich heritage
A Grade II listed building dating back to 1877, when it became the home of Birmingham’s Assay Office, has now been adopted for 21st Century business. But little of its historic charm has been lost, as JON GRIFFIN discovered when he spoke to its manager SARITA HAWKINS.
It’s Birmingham’s most historic creative workspace – with all the distinguished heritage associated with a city landmark dating back to the Victorian era….
Assay Studios in Newhall Street, complete with lovingly preserved book-lined rooms, fireplaces, safes and vaults from another age, boasts an enviable museum-style aura from the late 19th century.
But its modern-day incarnation, providing rented accommodation for 21st century businesses from academies to creative digital start-up firms and construction companies to a charity, mirrors Birmingham’s transformation from a city over-reliant for decades on a shrinking manufacturing base to today’s vibrant hi-tech economic model.
Assay Studios owes its origins to a silver testing business which first traded on August 31, 1773, and eventually gave birth to the Jewellery Quarter – and which last year celebrated 250 years of Brummie invention and innovation.
The Newhall Street complex – a Grade Two listed building dating back to 1877, which still attracts intrigued passers-by keen to explore its unique interior – is no museum piece merely trading on a distant glorious past.
The laboratory workshops have now been transformed by owners The Curious Network into a five-storey workspace hub reflecting its industrial history – which is today home to more than 30 21st century businesses just as keen to make their mark on the world as the Assay Office pioneers were back in the late 18th century.
Campus manager Sarita Hawkins, who manages the building, the members and daily operations onsite, recognises that the Newhall Street building’s unique history is a crucial selling point in today’s extremely competitive office rental market.
“Yes, you could say that we are a different offering to Birmingham’s workspace scene. By encouraging businesses to our space that think outside of the box, we want the thought-leaders and creatives of Birmingham.
“We are a members-only building day to day, and only open to the public when running community events. We have extended invitations to local businesses and creative industries to use this space, we’re always open to ideas of hosting more exclusive and fun activities.
“Just this past year, we’ve had So Far Sounds and The Marketing Meetup to name a few.
“There is a real atmosphere here, members are here long-term so it is really nice to be part of a building where you know your neighbours. Our main Atom breakout and kitchen area is a great space for our members to relax, mingle and collaborate.”
The atmosphere at Assay Studios reflects the painstaking two-year refurbishment programme undertaken by owner and operator TCN UK, who took over the 40,000 sq ft Newhall Street offices when the Assay Office moved out after 134 years in 2015 to relocate to new premises in Moreton Street in the Jewellery Quarter.
Today, whilst the office’s 50-strong workforce continues to uphold 250 years of tradition processing three million articles a year including diamonds and gemstones billions of years old, the rented accommodation in their former home in Newhall Street is proving a barometer of post-Covid workplace trends and the emerging economies of the 21st century.
Says Sarita: “TCN are super-keen on taking on buildings that boast a lot of history and character. We don’t believe in demolishing buildings, we believe in regenerating them. Here pre-Covid, we were very reliant on creative tech industries. Post-Covid all of those people went hybrid and we found ourselves with a very empty building consisting of large floor plates.
“It became apparent the requirement was very different here in Birmingham so the strategy changed post-Covid as businesses were looking for slightly smaller space with a lot more flexibility. We partitioned three floors, creating various sized offices.
‘’We have a total of five floors and accommodate 32 businesses from start-ups to well established larger groups. We are now fully occupied and it’s a good place to be. We’ve got two academies, 17 creative digital companies, seven in the construction sector, three in the arts, and a charity here – Let’s Feed Brum.
“There is a real beauty in having this tight-knit group of members in our Birmingham workspace, they are all like-minded businesses and I’m proud to be a part of the space we’ve created."
Sarita firmly believes the unique ambience of a Jewellery Quarter landmark which previously housed Birmingham’s third oldest company – after badge-makers Firmin and Sons and precious metal experts Betts Metal Sales – is an invaluable asset in the highly competitive rental sector.
“It’s about finding the right company to fit our existing community. Sometimes we might not be the right fit, some clients might want a corporate-looking building or state of the art finishes.
“We strive to be alternative. We boast character and heritage; preserving the original fabric of our spaces, and giving them a new lease of life. This is true for all seven of our sites, not just Assay Studios.
“We offer flexibility – we want companies here long-term. If members want to grow or downsize space, we can now accommodate that.
“The beauty of our position today is that a lot of the clients and members with us here today have met with us through networking events, through member referrals, through being guests of other members. They are intrigued by what they see, so they get in touch with us – a lot of this is kind of self-referral really.”
Sarita says the Assay Studios are particularly appealing to small SMEs and start-ups. “We love supporting new enterprises that are young and eager to grow, and we want to grow with them – this tends to be a really good platform to start your business, and then expand within the building.
“Young businesses love to be in a building where they can just bring in a laptop, plug it in and work – that is the digital world today.”
Just as the Assay Office remains a staple fixture of Birmingham’s industrial past, present and future, Sarita says Assay Studios operators TCN are committed to preserving the rich history of the Newhall Street building.
“I remember when I first started here, I said to one of our founders, Toby Bidwell, ‘I would love to install a big digital screen in reception.’ Toby’s response was ‘do you think a digital screen will suit the aesthetics of the building?’
"It made me think – everything is considered in terms of aesthetics and sustainability. We wouldn’t want to lose that.
“The history, atmosphere and heritage here is our unique selling point for Assay Studios.
“Feeling nosey? Follow us on social media @TCNUK, and see what we’re up to.”
This article first appeared in the June 2024 edition of Chamberlink magazine.
Read the digital edition of the magazine.
