Rutland Mills – from ruin to creative hub

Gowercroft Joiner installed 219 timber windows into the former Rutland Mills site in Wakefield. This project is part of a ten-acre regeneration masterplan to revitalise the city’s historic waterfront.

Central to the scheme was the multi-million pound restoration and repurposing of a complex of derelict Grade II Listed mill buildings into the largest mixed-use creative hub outside of London.

The new 135,000 sq ft space, known as Tileyard North, now comprises world-class music studios, creative workspaces, event spaces up to 850 capacity, onsite hospitality venues and plans for a boutique hotel along The Calder riverside.

The scheme is being developed by regeneration specialists, CPPI, who have jointly funded the project with Wakefield Council, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Historic England and the Levelling Up Fund.

Breathing new life into industrial heritage

The original nineteenth-century cluster of spinning mills had ceased to operate in the 1970s and had stood empty from 1999 causing the building structure to deteriorate significantly.

Phase One of Hawkins Brown’s redevelopment scheme involved the removal of one of the buildings to create direct access to the River Calder, a riverside pier and the restoration and conversion of the six remaining Victorian mill buildings.  

A new central courtyard event area was also created and one of the original mill chimneys was reinstated as an iconic landmark and focal point.

In this highly complex restoration, the architect retained over 80% of the building fabric, repairing and repurposing each space, with contemporary interventions that reimagined its heritage.

Complex construction and repair

Before the repair process could begin, a programme of decontamination was required, including the removal of asbestos and a high level of lead content from painted surfaces, window frames, steel frames, walls, floor timbers and roof structure.

Following extensive surveys, main contractor, Sewell Construction undertook the highly complex process of stabilising the structure of Buildings 7, 9, 10 and 11 which required urgent attention.

This involved repairing the external masonry walls, natural slate roofing, internal iron, and timber framing, and inserting of new stairlifts. New external circulation cores were also added to three of the buildings.

Where possible existing materials were retained and those selected for the new interventions were chosen to reflect a modern industrial palette to create a clear connection between the old and the new.

Challenging window replacement

Following comprehensive site surveys, Gowercroft Joinery manufactured and installed 219 arched top Hardwick casement windows in Red Grandis, most of which measured 2m high x 1.5m wide, for the four main mill buildings.

The sheer scale and height of the buildings, which ranged from two to four storeys high, and their degraded state presented technical challenges.  

The brickwork arches had crumbled, so they had to be repaired before the timber windows could be fitted into the reveals from the inside.  

Due to the idiosyncrasies of the structure, some reveals were reversed, so those windows had to be fitted from the outside using a mobile elevated work platform to gain access to the higher levels.

As the initial window surveys had revealed that virtually all the window openings varied slightly, Gowercroft designed a bespoke trim system for the inside of the windows, ensuring a consistent look where the windows met the brickwork.

“You have to be pretty adaptable when dealing with the irregularities of historic buildings as, in a sense, you never know quite what you will find,” said David Brown, Gowercroft’s Special Projects Director. “Fortunately, we have a lot of experience in working around problems, so we were able to create a pretty seamless outcome,”

Gowercroft also manufactured and installed three 1380cm x 3135cm, ground floor glazed screens each weighing 150 kilos, which look out onto the new central courtyard.

An impressive transformation

This impressive regeneration has not only preserved a significant piece of industrial heritage but transformed it into a vibrant cultural and commercial centre for many generations to come.

To find out how Gowercroft Joinery can transform your next project with bespoke timber windows and expert restoration services, check us out on NBS today!