The Hive JQ

The Hive is a community hub for Birmingham in an historic building, with an award-winning organic café and bakery, craft workshops, exhibitions and event spaces.

New Horizons

Latest

OBE awarded to our Founder, Aonghus Gordon

The Ruskin Mill Land Trust is delighted that our founding trustee, Aonghus Gordon, has been awarded an OBE in the 2022 New Year Honours List, for his services to heritage and education.
News

The latest news and updates from across the Trust
International Bead Biennale 2022 - Call to Artists

The International Bead Biennale is being held for the first time as part of the International Festival of Glass 2022, as a sister exhibition to the British Glass Biennale. SUBMISSION PORTAL IS NOW LIVE!
British Glass Biennale 2022

Call to artists for the 2022 British Glass Biennale. Deadline for submission 27 February 2022. Submission portal is now LIVE!

Camera Making in Britain

12th - 19th September 2020: 100 Year of Camera Making in Birmingham - Explore local historian James Furnival's collection of historical cameras and photographic equipment made in Birmingham.
A Sign of Life

A collaborative exhibition showcasing artworks by the students of Argent College who worked alongside artist Hillary J Baker to create mono-print self-portraits, A Sign of Life responded to themes of hope, fear, and dreams.
The Fading City

Showcasing beautiful handmade printmaking techniques by Jemma Gunning and Tracey Thorne, the exhibition explored the textures and typography of buildings in Birmingham, with an emphasis on fading signs, known as ghost signs.
Memories of Home at The Hive

23 - 26 August 2019: Renowned artist Silvia Levenson was invited to spend a week in June working with groups of refugees and asylum seekers in at The Hive, accumulating in an exhibition at the International Festival of Glass.
Vital Beauty

12th October 2020 - 18th December 2020: A celebration of John Ruskin’s life (1819 – 1900) and his contributions, particularly regarding architecture to Ruskin Mill Trust
Truth to Nature: The Art of Iridescence

From the 31st January - 25th February 2020: The Hive Gallery kicked off the 2020 exhibition schedule with Franziska Schenk's illuminating collection, 'Truth to Nature: The Art of Iridescence'.

Hive Cafe and Bakery

The Hive Cafe and Bakery provides a warm welcome in the heart of Birmingham's famous Jewellery Quarter, with delicious pastries, cake, bread and meals. Come and visit us. Try our coffee! Please visit us at The Hive subsite. www.thehiveJQ.org
Plan your visit

The International Festival of Glass takes place at venues across the Stourbridge Glass Quarter. Entry to all Festival venues is free, however some activities and events will have a charge.
Freeman Biodynamic Garden at High Riggs

Located in Stannington bordering the Peak District the Freeman Biodynamic Garden provides fruit and vegetables for Freeman College, Brantwood Specialist School and the Fusion Café.
Why we exist
Our story

The seeds of Ruskin Mill Land Trust were sown in 1967 when Robin and Barbara Gordon transplanted their young sons Aonghus and Alisdair from the hothouse of the Ruskin Centre for Art Appreciation in Venice to the cold frame of a dilapidated former textile mill in Gloucestershire.
Vale Head Farm

Vale Head Farm was an equestrian centre when we purchased it, and over the years hard work has seen it bloom into a beautiful biodynamic farm.
Merlin Theatre

Transforming the Merlin Theatre has enriched the cultural life of Sheffield and provided cultural venue for Freeman College and Brantwood Specialist School..
British Glass Biennale 2019 - selected artists

The Ruskin Mill Land Trust, in association with the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers, is delighted to announce the artists for the 2019 British Glass Biennale exhibition. Over two days an expert panel of judges chaired by Róisín de Buitléar and comprising of Dr Jane Cook, Monica Guggisberg, Angel Monzon, and Cathy Shankland, selected the very best of this year’s entries, all of which achieved a very high standard.
Café & Bakery

We are now open again for Take Away service Tuesday - Friday. Winner of a GOLD Visit England Award for Excellence 2020.
Exhibition - Vulcans Forge

'Vulcans Forge' showcases photographs of a two year project from 1977 by Janine Wiedel, taken in and around Birmingham's industrial heart.