Sheffield Industrial Museums asks for longer hours for revamped cafe at Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet

If approved, the cafe in Beauchief would be sublet under a tenancy agreement to Kelham Island Ltd and the opening hours increased to 8am until 5pm every day.

The cafe, which was run by Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust and takes up about half of the upper floor of the building, has been closed since 2021 for refurbishment with the intent of giving the operation over to another provider.

Sheffield Industrial Museums said a new operator would be “better placed to offer a high quality cafe experience” and the rental income would support the costs of the Trust.

In a planning application, it said the cafe would have five full-time and six part-time staff.

On its website, the Trust said of the cafe: “We look forward to welcoming you soon with a new look, great coffee and a fantastic new menu.”

History of the site

Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is a listed 18th century industrial works where visitors can see what life at home and work would have been like hundreds of years ago.

MORE PLANNING: Plans revealed for ‘global first’ child health centre at Sheffield’s Olympic Legacy Park

It was once a producer of agricultural tools and the largest water-powered industrial site on the River Sheaf.

Now it is home to the last complete surviving crucible steel furnace in the UK.