Completion in sight for brand consultancy’s £100k refurb of former 19th-century mill

Huddersfield brand consultancy The Engine Room is making progress on a six-figure scheme to turn a 19th-century mill and former piggery into its new HQ.

The company secured £20k funding from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership’s Business Growth Programme to support a £100k-plus refurb of the complex, which is now halfway complete.

The site will serve as a 4,000 sq ft creative hub in the centre of Mirfield.

Engine Room bought York Mills in January last year for £250k. It was once owned by the Ingham family, who employed novelist and poet Anne Brontë as a governess.

The firm said the site is also believed to have previously housed a textile mill and confectionery warehouse.

The complex’s outbuildings have been cleared to pave the way for a car park and a former car port is being converted into the building’s main reception.

Engine Room is now focusing on overhauling the heart of the mill, where its team will occupy the first floor. The premises have room to accommodate two new recruits, set to be appointed in the next six months.

Workshop space on the ground floor will be available for local businesses to use, as will the site’s brick-vaulted cellar.

Engine Room MD Lesley Gulliver said: “This is a massive undertaking for us, both in terms of financial expenditure and human resources.

“However, we’ve long been on the lookout for the perfect new home. The move, whilst daunting, feels extremely well-timed as we’re maturing as a business, shifting towards a pure brand focus, and planning for our next phase of growth. We can’t wait to reveal the result of our efforts.”

Lesley continued: “Great effort has been taken to reuse as many of the site’s original materials as possible,” continued Lesley. “We’ve salvaged the mill door for use as a boardroom table, for instance, and the beams from the demolished outbuildings have been set aside to mark out the soon-to-be car parking spaces.

“It will hopefully be the perfect blend of old and new.”

Completion is due in late September.

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