Grainger Plc strengths its Birmingham portfolio with the launch of Gilders Yard in central Birmingham – the first of a pipeline of new Build to Rent developments in the Midlands. The site is located in the city’s Jewellery Quarter – on the former site of a renowned Birmingham jewellery maker.
Gilders Yard will feature 158 homes – a mix of one and two-bedroom Build to Rent rental apartments. Residents will benefit from a range of amenities including a co-working space and residents lounge, gym and outdoor courtyard garden.
The development will also feature secure car parking and a bike storage unit. Residents will further benefit from superfast high speed WIFI and the services of a dedicated onsite Resident Services Team – both of which are included in the rent.
Due to launch in May 2022, the Gilders Yard Build to Rent development on Great Hampton Street will see the renovation of a three storey Grade II* listed building, once home to local jeweller, J Ashford & Sons. The scheme is made up of a mixture of new and restored buildings incorporating different architectures, with two buildings adjoined on each side of the original factory.
One of the new buildings features a distinctive terracotta exterior, a nod to the city’s past – particularly Great Hampton Street, which has a history of terracotta buildings from The Victorian times.
Gilders Yard is in the city’s Jewellery Quarter, an area of unique character with a particular combination of historical buildings and culture associated with jewellery and metalworking. The former J Ashford & Sons factory was a ‘gilt toy maker’, with toys being defined as small articles worn or carried by a person, such as buttons, buckles and cuff links. Gilders Yard takes inspiration from the term gilding, a decorative technique used to apply fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces. A gilded object is described as gilt.
The architectural design of Gilder’s Yard also plays homage to the former site, with the original factory preserved and a centrepiece of the new development.
“Gilders Yard is a very special development, delivering high quality new rental homes, whilst also preserving a stunning listed building. The development pays tribute to Birmingham’s manufacturing past, with elements of the original factory, such as exposed brick and metalwork featuring within several of the new homes.
“This is the first in a pipeline of high quality new Build to Rent developments for Grainger in the Midlands, and as well as providing a new home for Grainger’s Birmingham office, will also compliment our existing portfolio of rental homes across Birmingham and the Midlands”
“We are really looking forward to launching Gilders Yard in Birmingham and welcoming our first residents to the Jewellery Quarter area, the city’s bustling industry hub.”
Helen Gordon, Chief Executive, Grainger
In addition to Gilders Yard, Grainger has a strong Midlands pipeline totalling 1,140 new rental homes for the region – and includes a second scheme in Birmingham which will deliver 375 homes. Other upcoming developments include a 259 home scheme in Derby and a 348 home scheme in Nottingham.
