Henderson’s Relish roof tiles project raises £9,000 for students seeking sanctuary

The project is part of a collaboration between Henderson’s Relish, APG Works, and the departments of architecture and engineering to support scholarships for students seeking sanctuary.

The bursaries support students who have been displaced or affected by a conflict in their home country, including those from Ukraine.

This project is part of the University’s work to preserve Henderson’s House.

What is happening with the old Henderson’s factory?

Before the pandemic, there were plans to convert the former factory to a pub. However, these plans have since been scrapped.

Rachel Parnham, relationships manager at the University of Sheffield, said: “Henderson’s House is an iconic part of Sheffield as the historical home of Henderson’s.

“If we hadn’t taken any action, the building wouldn’t be there anymore. Our goal is to preserve the building and make it watertight.”

The current building work aims to reuse as much of the old materials as possible, including bricks from the old factory building. The building work was set to be completed this spring, but the project has seen multiple delays.

Ms Parnham said: “Because the roof tiles couldn’t be reused in the preservation project of ‘Henderson’s House’ it provided a great opportunity for a charity initiative. Our former director of estates and facilities management Keith Lilley wanted us to show our support as a department to students seeking sanctuary in Sheffield.

“The cleaning of the tiles is very time consuming – it has to be done by hand due to their fragility and it takes time to clean off decades worth of grime.

“The project has only been made possible through the generosity of estates staff giving up their time to do the cleaning and a fantastic technician in the architecture department who cuts and engraves the Henderson’s logo onto the tiles. It’s also been a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talent of two of our students Katie Cottle and Ameli Vidanearachchi.

“The original roof tiles have been replaced on the project but retained and repurposed as a commemorative piece of Henderson’s history that can be purchased with the proceeds of the sales going to students seeking sanctuary in Sheffield.

“To date this has raised over £9,000 and these are still available to buy. Whilst the objective has always been to preserve as much of the historic fabric as possible this has been carefully balanced with ensuring that the building is structurally sound and can be brought back into use.”

The tiles are hand cut and engraved with Henderson’s relish logo before being placed in a presentation frame with an illustration of the building.

Sheffield student artwork competition

There are two illustrations to choose between, depicting a traditional and a modern version of the building.

The designs were created as part of a competition by Sheffield students, Katie Cottle and Ameli Vidanearachchi.

Ms Parnham said: “We couldn’t decide between them, and we loved their distinct differences.”

Katie Cottle is an architecture masters student at the University of Sheffield.

She said: “I really enjoyed being commissioned to illustrate this iconic building as I have walked past it many times on campus. It felt really important to commemorate and record this important part of Sheffield’s history before the renovation began.

“The Henderson’s Tile Project is an inspired idea that I am excited to be a part of. It not only raises money to support students seeking sanctuary in Sheffield, but also is demonstrating a way to reduce the amount of construction waste being sent to landfill by up-cycling the roof tiles.”

The tiles cost £125 and can be purchased from the Print and Creative Services Desk in the Students’ Union.

For more information on the University’s work to preserve the former Henderson’s Relish building, visit the estates website.