A cluster of historic factory buildings in Leicester city centre has been transformed into a major new hub for the creative industries.
The £14.6m redevelopment of the Pilot House site on King Street has created Canopy, an imaginative workspace offering more than 30,000 sq ft of offices, studios and shared facilities for businesses in the city’s creative and design sector.
Picture credit: Leicester City Council
Led by Leicester City Council and supported by £9.9m from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund, the project aims to support around 250 jobs while fostering enterprise and innovation in the city centre.
The development – formally opened last Thursday (March 12) by Peter Soulsby, the Mayor of Leicester – has already attracted strong interest from the creative sector, with 47% of its workspace units pre-let before the official launch.
Units at Canopy range from 150 sq ft to 4,800 sq ft, and by the end of April around a dozen tenants are expected to have moved in. Businesses working in fields such as design, fashion, calligraphy, animation, sustainability, dance and music are among those set to take up residence.
The site brings five heritage factory buildings back into use while preserving their historic character. Facilities for tenants include contemporary office space, meeting rooms, conference facilities, a co-working lounge, reception area, an outdoor courtyard and an on-site coffee shop and bakery.
The first business to sign a lease was the project’s own architect, rg+p, which won the design contract in 2022 and will relocate its Leicester studio to Canopy this month.
Director Rob Woolston said the firm was proud to move into a space it had helped create.
“Since winning the design contract, we’ve worked closely with the city council to develop a design to bring this fascinating cluster of former factory buildings back into productive use while retaining their historic character,” he said.
“With the lease on our current studio ending, we quickly realised the space we were looking for was the one that we are incredibly proud to have helped to create.”
Among the first tenants already operating from Canopy is the Leather Conservation Centre, an international specialist in leather conservation, education and research that relocated from Northampton last year.
Supported by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Worshipful Company of Leathersellers, the centre’s team has been working on restoration projects including a leather football used during the Battle of Loos, an 18th-century sedan chair from Holyrood Palace and a rare Roman sandal discovered in Oxfordshire.
The centre also runs workshops and public tours, offering visitors a chance to learn traditional craft skills such as bookmaking and leather repair.
Another early arrival is popular coffee shop and bakery Public, which has been serving food and drink from Canopy’s atrium since January.
Chief creative officer Raffaele Russo said the character of the historic buildings made it a natural home for the business.
“We’ve always been drawn to buildings with character, so Canopy, with its original factory features, feels like a natural home for Public,” he said.
Mayor Soulsby said the project would play a key role in supporting Leicester’s creative economy.
“Canopy is set to become a hub for creativity in a unique heritage setting in Leicester city centre,” he said.
“By bringing businesses together, it will help drive collaboration and innovation while nurturing entrepreneurial talent and stimulating growth in the creative sector.”
The redevelopment of the Pilot House site was carried out by Henry Brothers Construction, which worked under contract to Leicester City Council.
The workspace will be run by the same team that manages other council-supported creative hubs in the city, including LCB Depot, Phoenix Workspace and Makers’ Yard in Leicester’s Cultural Quarter.
City leaders say the transformation of the former factory buildings represents a significant step in linking Leicester’s industrial heritage with the city’s future creative and economic growth.
