Cole Brothers: Former John Lewis department store reopens to public for Crossed Wires podcast festival

Residents will be free to walk in and out of the long-shut city centre icon this weekend as part of the Crossed Wires Festival, the UK’s biggest celebration of podcasting.

BBC Sounds is taking over the beloved former department store from July 4 - 6 for three jam-packed days of live recordings and special sessions with broadcasting stars.

Ahead of the festival - and in what is a rare sight nowadays - the lights are on in the lobby of Cole Brothers with work crews on site.

Several boards advertising what developers Urban Splash have planned for the building can be seen inside, but it it believed these are from the previous consultation and will be removed in time for the event.

The ground floor of the Grade II-listed building will be transformed into “the BBC Sounds Garden” venue for the weekend.

A statement advertising the event by the BBC reads: “The BBC Sounds Garden will offer a welcoming space where you can lose yourself in the audio you love. Settle into a deck chair or bean bag, slip on some headphones, and enjoy a moment of calm with live radio, on-demand music, or your favourite BBC podcasts.”

The Crossed Wires line up includes top billing programmes like Football Daily, Russell Kane’s Evil Genius, the Radio 2 Book Club with Sara Cox, and a session with best-selling author David Nicholls.

Other events include a glimpse behind the scenes with Gabriel Gatehouse (The Coming Storm) and Sue Mitchell (To Catch a Scorpion), whilst Frank Skinner will bring top comedians to Sheffield for two special recordings of One Person Found This Helpful.

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It comes after members of the public were invited inside the former department store in October 2024 for the first time in years as part of a two-day consultation by developers Urban Splash, shortly before they agreed a new 250-year lease with landlord Sheffield City Council.

Urban Splash was named in October 2023 as the lead planner for what the future holds for the beloved Barker’s Pool store.

Plans so far include reopening it as a work space with both shops, cafes, and food & drink. In October 2024, development manager Mark Latham said the group have five businesses interested in moving in. Meanwhile, a huge space in the basement could be a gym or events space.

Speaking during the two-day consultation last year, Mr Latham said: “People were saying they nearly burst into tears talking about the old store, including areas such as the beauty counter on the ground floor, where we staged the exhibition. There is a lot of space around Sheffield but this is a particularly special and privileged place.”

Mr Lathan claimed some visitors “nearly burst into tears” upon visiting the empty store last year, saying: “There is a lot of space around Sheffield but this is a particularly special and privileged place.”