One vision, 30,000 sq ft of iconic Grade I listed building, a small, committed team, and a Boardroom used by Brunel.
After more than a decade as a home for innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers and community partners, Engine Shed will close its doors in December 2026 – marking the end of a chapter that has shaped Bristol’s innovation landscape.
Engine Shed was conceived of in January 2013 and opened its doors in December the very same year. There is no easy way to say it but this year, 2026, Engine Shed will close its doors.
The team behind Engine Shed will transition to run the new Bristol Innovations Zone in the new, main academic building in the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, which will open in September 2026. Much of the vision of Engine Shed will be extended in activities across the building.
From Engines to Innovation
The building has an extraordinary history. Originally designed by Brunel, the building included offices, drawing rooms, and the station master’s quarters. It functioned as a workshop to service engines and contained railway tracks.
Once its railway life came to an end, the building housed The Exploratory science centre (1989–1999) and the Empire and Commonwealth Museum (2002–2009) before becoming an innovation hub and ‘incubator of incubators’ in 2013.
In the words of Nick Sturge: “Through a series of trigger events, conversations and chance happenings in 2012, the scene was set to dust off an idea I had back in about 2008, when SETsquared was on Park Row and Woodland Road in Clifton, to create a space that brought the mainstream business community together with innovators, policy makers and other ecosystem actors – all to feed that innovation engine to in turn, drive sustainable and inclusive economic growth.”
Known across the country and internationally as Engine Shed, the building serves as a “hub for innovation,” providing workspaces, meeting rooms, event space, and a home for the SETsquared Bristol Incubator.
An evolution rather than an ending
Engine Shed was created to fill a gap – in leadership, in workspace, and in community. In the last 13 years, the ecosystem has changed and with it, the needs of our community. The University’s commitment to the community, relationships and collaborative spirit will continue, and importantly, expand with the opening of more locations across the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus.
As we looked back on the early ambition behind Engine Shed, we asked its founder, Nick Sturge to reflect on how far the vision has travelled. He told us: “The ecosystem, and therefore the number and strength of the actors within it, has grown significantly since 2013 and I’m super proud that Engine Shed, and the team behind and within it, has played a part in that growth and the collaborative spirit that has created the right environment for the next stage of Engine Shed’s journey.
“While part of that will rest in the sidings for a while, I am so pleased that Bristol Innovations Zone, in the new TQEC building, will pick up the momentum that Engine Shed helped create. When we were given 9 months to move the incubator out of university premises, we had to act quickly, and we cooked up a plan with brilliant colleagues at Bristol City Council and the Local Enterprise Partnership/Invest Bristol and Bath. That collaborative and entrepreneurial spirit that created Engine Shed set the tone, I think, for the West of England and I look forward to seeing the University brings this to life in the new chapter.”
Nick’s reflections capture the evolution of the ecosystem – but it’s the personal experiences within these walls that truly show what Engine Shed has meant to people.
Stories of Impact
Whilst the data we have collected gives some indication of the impact that the building has had over the years (more on that in another blog), it’s the stories that really bring it to life. We asked Becky Sage, Entrepreneur in Residence at SETsquared Bristol to share some reflections on her experience:
“Many pivotal moments of my life happened in the Engine Shed, from making my hair static with the Van Der Graff generator at the exploratory as a 7 year old, inspiring a career in science, to the elation when I told my start-up team that we had achieved investment and the tears which I couldn’t choke back when we moved out of our office several years later.
“While the physical space alone does not make a community, when I walk into the Engine Shed building I feel like I’m supported. Actual “water cooler chats” and “creative collisions” have happened here on a regular basis, and now as Entrepreneur in Residence I feel lucky to see other entrepreneurs create their own moments in this space too.”
Becky’s memories echo a wider truth: Engine Shed has always been more than a building – it’s been a catalyst for connection, innovation and possibility.
If Engine Shed has played an important part in your life, career or business, please share your story via this quick form.
As we celebrate these memories, we also look ahead to how the spirit of Engine Shed will continue in new forms across the tracks in the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, not least the iconic yellow stairs throughout the building!
What is next?
And while this chapter is closing, the spirit of Engine Shed will carry forward. It will evolve into new spaces, new collaborations and new opportunities. For those who love Engine Shed, the campus offers a variety of opportunities, including:
- The new academic building will be an interdisciplinary learning and research environment, focusing on teaching and research within the Business School, the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, School of Computer Science, School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, and School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology. Beyond academia, the building offers a variety of spaces ‘for Bristol’ that are relevant to our community:
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- Bristol Innovations Zone – a mixture of hot desks, fixed desks, dry labs, lounge, and more to bring the deep-tech community together and enable collaboration and impact. Find out more.
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- Bristol Rooms will offer a unique collaboration space that crosses boundaries between disciplines and sectors, including community, business and government partners to tackle society’s most pressing challenges.
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- A large public realm, canteen and space for collaboration.
- OMX – offers 30,000 sq ft of purpose-built lab and office space for scaling Deep Tech companies.
- The Sheds – home to the Bristol Digital Futures Institute (BDFI) and MyWorld. The world-first research facilities bring together academics and partners to advance pioneering research into digital and creative technologies and are available to book.
This new land of opportunity doesn’t take away from the sadness we will feel when we close the doors for the final time and we hope you will join us in celebrating all that has been achieved – we’re already planning one more party.
Looking ahead, the University team leading the next phase of innovation shared their perspective on how Engine Shed’s legacy will shape the future.
Marty Reid, former Director of Engine Shed and now Director of Innovation, Research and Enterprise at the University of Bristol, reflected on both the legacy of the space and the opportunities its next chapter will unlock: “Leading Engine Shed showed me just how deeply it resonates across Bristol’s business and civic communities. That sense of connection and shared purpose is something I’ve always valued. In my current role, I’m excited to ensure that its legacy continues – not as an ending, but as an evolution. The new academic building will allow the growth, innovation and inclusion initiatives started at Engine Shed to expand, strengthen and become even more integrated with the University’s wider activities.”
Find out more about the closure in our Frequently Asked Questions.
