Leah's Yard, Sheffield

A former collection of small industrial workshops in the heart of Sheffield, Leah's Yard serves as an example of the city's industrial heritage.

It was constructed in the early 19th century as a works for the manufacture of shears and other hand tools. Leah's Yard had had many different occupants throughout the century, and subsequently undergone many alterations and additions which are visible today. In the 1880s, the building was known as the Cambridge Street Horn Works (after a horn dealer who supplied the cutlery handle making trade).

In 1892, Henry Leah, a producer of die stamps for silverware, took over the property, giving it its present name. Another occupier of the building at that time were the piercers and stampers – Walter Walker & Company Ltd. – after whom the building was alternatively known as the Cambridge Stamping Works.

By 1905, the Yard was occupied by a total of eighteen small businesses including dram flask manufacturer, hollow ware and silver buffers, palette knife makers, steel fork manufacturer, silver ferrule maker, brass and nickel silver turners, electroplate producer and a cutler.

The front of the building, overlooking Cambridge Street, has a carriage entrance which opens up into a small rear courtyard surrounded by small two- and three-storey brick workshops. There are external wooden staircases to give access to the upper floors and large casement windows to give plenty of natural light for the workmen.

Until recently, Leah's Yard stood in a derelict state, having not been fully used for over 20 years (except for the lower floor, used as a shop), and was saved from demolition solely by its listed status. A significant restoration effort is currently underway to bring the property back into use once again.