Rooftop Microfarm

The first stage of transformation has been completed and the Rooftop Garden is really something to behold.

Please visit pages on our Hive subsite for more information by clicking HERE.

We are extremely grateful to all our very supportive funders:

The Morrison's Foundation

Ninevah Charitable Trust

Tesco's Bags of Help

Finnis Scott Foundation

George Henry Collins Trust

The Wisdom Factory

The Edwards and Dorothy Cadbury Trust

Latest

Crafting for All Enterprise Project

Throughout 2020 we are running a new enterprise project called Crafting for All. Our monthly sessions will provide an opportunity for young people aged 16-25 with a learning disability or additional learning needs to gain practical enterprise and traditional crafting skills. By the end of the project the young makers will have made quality hand-made products to sell at a local craft market. Find out more and register your interest here.
Clervaux Garden School

Set in our 100 acre biodynamic farm, Clervaux Garden School provides an opportunity for young people aged 10 - 16 years to learn and grow within a holistic educational framework. Our aim is to develop responsible, free-thinking young people who can contribute to society with initiative and purpose.
The Fold

The Fold is a brand new centre for army families, set in the middle of a farm in beautiful countryside near the River Tees. Funded by a Libor grant from The Treasury service families can spend time in the countryside together. The activities provide a focussed and creative opportunity to learn new skills and share new experiences, whilst making friends with other families.
Glasshouse Phase 3 Development

Glasshouse Phase 3 is a project which has transformed two of the previously un-refurbished buildings on the Glasshouse site.

The Fading City - Exhibition

OPENS 2 MARCH 2020 A joint exhibition of new work by Jemma Gunning and Tracey Thorne. The Fading City is inspired by the textures and typography of buildings that surround us, and calls on us to immerse ourselves in a world that might otherwise slip by. Both artists have produced new works for the exhibition using different printmaking techniques to draw out the character and souls of the buildings.
The Sparkle Sessions

Love to craft and chat? We offer a fortnightly arts and crafts for wellbeing session in our Makers Studio. A great opportunity to craft in company; learn some new techniques, meet new people, be creative and socialise. Click for more details.
The Jewellery Quarter during World War II

Volunteer Mac Joseph has been carrying out research on our building's history during World War II. It's so interesting to see how Vittoria Street, and the wider Jewellery Quarter was affected by air raids. There is a focus on Joseph Smith, the last manufacturing occupants of Standard Works.
Researching the past; volunteers delve into the archives

One of our volunteers Surura tells us a little bit about her journey to discover more about our building and neighbouring buildings in the Jewellery Quarter.
RICS Awards 2019 - West Midlands

We were delighted to be judged 'Highly Commended' in the 2019 RICS Awards for the West Midlands for the New Standard Works
The Saturday Sessions - December 2019

A day of activity, experiences and sociable times at The Hive. The building is full of creativity and heritage; things to make, learn, see and do for all the family - a hive of activity. A place for everyone to enjoy. The Saturday Sessions run on the second Saturday of each month.
An Abecedarian for New Standard Works

Richard O'Brien, Birmingham Poet Laureate 2018-2020, was commissioned to write a poem about our amazing building and all the things that have happened inside its four walls in the past, and today since its new lease of life. We hope you enjoy it!
The Hive Gallery

Our Gallery new can be found on the ground floor of The Hive, behind the cafe. Exhibitions are both curated by ourselves and visiting artists and exhibitors. Free entry. Our first exhibition is in celebration of John Ruskin’s bicentenary year - A Sign of Life - as part of Ruskin 200. Click here for more details.
Volunteer at The Hive

Do you enjoy meeting new people in a public-facing role? Are you helpful, confident, and approachable - a real people person, with some time to give? Do you enjoy heritage, and talking about it? Would you thrive working in an inclusive & accessible environment? If so, we are currently recruiting for Hosts & Inspirers @The Hive to welcome visitors to our Heritage Room, support group & learning tours, our monthly Saturday Sessions showcase event, & craft activities programme. Click to read more...
The Sparkle Sessions

Love to craft and chat? We offer a fortnightly arts and crafts for wellbeing session in our Makers Studio. A great opportunity to craft in company; learn some new techniques, meet new people, be creative and socialise with like-minded people. Click for more details...

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.
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
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.
Merlin Theatre

Transforming the Merlin Theatre has enriched the cultural life of Sheffield and provided cultural venue for Freeman College and Brantwood Specialist School..
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. Thanks to much hard work over the last three years High Riggs has been changed from a disused tree nursery to a new highly productive market garden.
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.
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.
Aonghus Gordon: Executive Chair: MEd BA PGCE

Aonghus Gordon spent his formative years in Venice. He attended Rudolf Steiner schools and completed a BA in Ceramics and Art History followed by teacher training, gaining a Post Graduate Certificate in Education at Breton Hall, Leeds in 1981. Aonghus completed his MEd from Rudolf Steiner University College in Oslo.
2015 British Glass Biennale

2015 British Glass Biennale