Tileyard North: We take a look inside the Grade II-listed mill which is being turned into a boutique hotel, recording studios and offices

Following the multi-million pound restoration of the disused Rutland Mills, Tileyard North on Wakefield’s waterfront is dubbed as becoming ‘the largest creative community outside of London.’

Our reporter Sophie Mei Lan went to take a look inside the building, which neighbours The Hepworth Gallery.

If you’re arriving by train you’ll find yourself walking over Wakefield’s Chantry bridge - which people originally would ride over on horseback but now it is a busy main road.

On your left is a nod to the history of the bridge with a stunning view of the Chantry Chapel of St Mary’s, built in the mid 14th century, which is one of only three surviving bridge chapels in England.

On that side of the bridge you’re engulfed in history and on the other side you can’t miss the cascading grey walls of The Hepworth Gallery, which opened in 2011 to house the city’s art collection and to create a legacy for the Wakefield-born artist Barbara Hepworth.

Then in 2020, a £1.8m public garden opened next to The Hepworth, neighbouring Rutland Mills - which in many parts has been disused for over 20 years.

But now the development is about to enter its second phase and after already opening a stunning courtyard, bar, restaurant, the first creative businesses have begun to move into the purpose built office space and studios.

As a Wakefield resident myself I know some of the scepticism around The Hepworth and the new development while other parts of the district struggle, but if Tileyard North is as successful as its southern counterparts, this truly could be transformational for the district.

The team behind Tileyard London, Europe’s largest music-centric creative community, has already started to curate creative businesses to be its new residents.

I’ve walked past this mill for years but once I had found my way into the new complex next to The Hepworth garden you’re immersed by a stunning courtyard perfect for outdoor fayres and events.

I wandered through the Yorkshire Brasserie restaurant and headed into the huge airy purpose built event space which still features the original architecture of the mill. The style reminded me of a lot of the new developments at Kelham Island in Sheffield.

I then headed inside the professional recording studios, offices and social areas. This place is definitely built with collaboration at its heart with a stunning huge coworking space available too.

You can’t quite believe that this is on our doorstep with state-of-the-art studios and stylish offices.

In many ways it’s better than the production studios I used to work in in London as it’s spacious and rather than being crammed into a busy city you are 15 minutes away from the countryside.

All the buzz words revolve around giving this place a sense of its own ‘community.’ Providing that community is integrated into Yorkshire it can be only a good thing for the region.

Branding specialists Über Agency who are the latest to join this ‘community’ at Tileyard North previously had offices at the revamped Park Hill and Kelham Island in Sheffield.

Tileyard hopes to welcome more local creative businesses like theirs.

They also have options to buy a membership for creatives to use some of their recording studios in Wakefield and London.

Tileyard also owns the boutique hotel on site to offer upmarket accommodation to those visiting Wakefield.

Could this be the new heart of the entertainment industry up north? I certainly hope so.