The original factory site, known as Spital Hill Works, was founded by John Sorby & Sons in the late 18th Century, for the production of metal edge tools, such as sheep shears.
The Sorby family built a large detached residence to the south of the existing buildings. However, the property appears to have been demolished sometime before 1890.
By the early 1900s, Sorby and Sons were joined by other Sheffield manufacturers such as Lockwood Brothers, who made silverware and cutlery at the factory.
The building was expanded and rebuilt over this period, with historic documents showing the addition of a boiler house and chimney, weighbridge, and various arrangements of workshops and courtyards.
Around 1900, a new structure was added to the complex along the street front of Spital Hill. This building, know as Spital House, includes the existing shop premises at ground floor level, but has been empty for a number of years on the floors above. In the past it was occupied by community projects.
