The Custard Factory

The Custard Factory is the most powerful collection of creative and digital businesses, independent retailers and event venues outside London. Along with its sister project, Fazeley Studios, it forms the heart of Birmingham’s creative and digital district. Just over five minutes walk from the Bullring, it is home to over 500 businesses and hosts a regular calendar of fairs, festivals and gigs, as well as corporate and private events and weddings.

The Custard Factory is set in 15 acres of beautifully renovated riverside factories, built more than 100 years ago by Alfred Bird to manufacture and market his famous invention, eggless Custard. At one time he had a thousand people making the stuff and was exporting it across the globe. However, following the rationing and production limits imposed by World War Two, the company was taken over and in 1964 production relocated to Banbury and the factories fell derelict.

We took The Custard Factory over in 1988. We began to restore the buildings and opened it up to the best of Birmingham’s young creative talent. The first phase, Scott House, launched in 1993 and was so popular that it was full before the brochures had finished printing.

Today we have developed over three quarters of a million square feet and not just on the core Custard Factory site. The Custard Factory has expanded to become a whole creative quarter, including our sister project Fazeley Studios, the TV Studios of Maverick TV (How to Look Good Naked, Embarrassing Bodies) and North One TV (The Gadget Show) and the creative workspace and incubation at Boxxed. Tenants of the Custard Factory itself range from innovative start ups to household brands such as ASOS and the Prince’s Trust.