
A multimillion-pound project to transform a historic Sheffield building has been given a £3.5m boost by the Arts Council.
Canada House was originally built in the 1870s to become the offices for the Sheffield United Gas Light Company but in the 1980s it became one of the city’s most popular music haunts as the TurnUps nightclub. Harmony Works Trust, which was awarded official charitable status in August 2023, purchased the Grade II star listed Canada House from the Panache retail brand last year, and it has now secured the funding to transform the building into Harmony Works, a vibrant new home for music education.
The regeneration scheme is expected to start later this year, with a view to opening the music hub in 2027, and once complete it will become home to organisations including the Sheffield Music Academy, Sheffield Music Hub, Brass Bands England, Music in the Round, Choir with No Name, Orchestras for All, and Concerteenies.
The latest funding pledge follows a £4.7m investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund which was announced last week, and adds to the project’s growing support base, which includes funding from the Architectural Heritage Fund, Sheffield City Council, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, the UK Government’s Levelling Up Funding, and multiple local trusts and foundations.
The combined £8.2m investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England will help fund the building’s transformation into the new regional home for music education with practice, rehearsal and performance space.
Emily Pieters, project director at Harmony Works, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive such strong backing from Arts Council England. Alongside the funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we are now in a very strong position to fully refurbish Canada House and deliver on our long-term vision of creating a new home to inspire and nurture the creative potential of young people and their communities.
“It’s amazing to think that in just three years, these walls will once again be filled with the sound of music – this time created by the young people themselves.”
Pete Massey, Yorkshire director at Arts Council England, said: “Sheffield is a city with a rich history of musical excellence, so it’s great to see Harmony Works secure this vital investment from Government to create a fantastic new hub for music education. Yorkshire continues to produce musicians and bands that have received national and international acclaim, and we can’t wait to see the next generation of artists come through the Harmony Works doors to build on that success.”
Original artice – https://business-live.co.uk/all-about/yorkshire-humber