What we are looking for!

Utility House provides workspace that is welcoming, practical and adaptable, contemporary and bright and meets the needs of Bristol’s creative and ethical community.

We are seeking a friendly, capable, organised and efficient Property Manager to manage the building and its community.

We proactively seek tenants who share our approach to life and work and are looking for the same in our Property Manager. We are looking for someone who will take pleasure and pride in ensuring that Utility House continues is a well-managed space where a friendly and supportive community of creative businesses, charities and not for profit organisations can come and work together.

0.2 FTE Employed Contract (8 hrs per week)

£26,000 – £30,000 pro rata depending on experience

Purpose of the role

You will use your excellent organisational skills to ensure that the building functions smoothly and efficiently, overseeing the regular maintenance and servicing of all aspects of the building including fire safety and alarms, our lift, heating and electrics, as well as cleaning and waste collection.

Your friendly demeanour and excellent communication skills will ensure you develop a good working relationship with tenants, sorting out their queries and needs in relation to building management, and devising ways for tenants to get to know each other, communicate, socialise, and feel connected.

You will enjoy keeping the website up to date and liaising with our graphic designer to ensure that the public face of Utility House is fresh and appealing. And, if a tenant decides to move on, you will lead on marketing and advertising for new tenants.

Your love of efficient systems and processes coupled with amazing attention to detail will enable you to oversee and manage building administration including online bookkeeping, keeping records of suppliers, and ensuring that all essential checks and tasks are carried out when they need to be.

You may be asked to lead on redecoration, improvement or enhancement projects as and when needed. We are currently installing new signage and hope to freshen up the ground floor later in 2022.

As well as managing Utility House, you will also support marketing, communications and admin in relation to Swinfen’s Yard, a mixed-use development of small shops and offices in Stony Stratford owned by one of Utility House’s partners.

Support and training will be provided where needed.

How to apply  

For more information including Personal Specification download the Property Manager Job Description HERE

 To apply for this role, please send:

• A current CV
• A cover letter (no longer than 2 sides of A4) explaining the skills, experience and attributes that you will bring to the role and why you are interested in it
• The names and contact details of two work referees

to: info@utilityhousebristol.co.uk

The closing date for applications is 7^th February 2022, 12 noon.

Following the closing date, 3-5 candidates will be invited to interview w/c 14^th February 2022.

Further information

If you would like more information or an informal chat about the role to find out whether it might be a good fit for you, please telephone Jane on 07973 409450 during working hours (Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm).

At Utility House, we meet the needs of Bristol’s creative, ethical and start-up communities by providing workspace that is practical and adaptable. We have been fully let since we opened in 2015, so this is a rare opportunity to join our small community by leasing one of our light and airy studios.

From April 2021, Studio 4 will be available for rent. A 96sqm (1,030 sq ft) workspace, Studio 4 is a large, light, open plan office with its own kitchen.

Situated on the 2nd floor, it is accessible by stairs and serviced by a lift. The space is flexible, lending itself to subdividing into kitchen, break out and meeting spaces as well as a workspace large enough for between 8-16 desks.

Download our brochure for more information & rental prices – Click Here >> 

FACILITIES INCLUDED

• 24-hour access
• Own secure front door
• Individual entry phone access
• Lift
• Private Kitchen
• Bookable meeting room on ground floor
• W/C on each floor (disabled on ground)
• Outside Bike Storage
• One dedicated car parking space

OUR ETHOS

We want people around us who share our approach to life and work. Our aim is to create a friendly and supportive community for creative businesses, start-ups and not-for-profits.

Located on Upper York Street, between Stokes Croft and Wilder Street, Utility House is part of a thriving community with a host of good cafes and restaurants nearby. Just check out our other blog posts about our favourite local hidden gems, and you will understand why we love the vitality and vibrancy of the area!

Centrally located, Utility House is also conveniently situated a three-minute stroll from Cabot Circus, and lies within walking distance of Bristol Temple Meads, the main Bus Station, and within easy vehicle access to the M32.

If you would like to find out more about our workspaces, or come and have a look around, drop us an email info@utilityhousebristol.co.uk or call Jane on 07973 409450.

As our newest Studio 2 & 3 residents, we are delighted to welcome the KEO Films Team to Utility House.

KEO films – Ingenious, pioneering and authentic.

Established in 1996 KEO Films is a multi-award winning integrated broadcast, commercial and digital production company regularly voted into the top few places in peer polls for TV Indies.  KEO develops and produces content that has something to say and has a reason to exist beyond achieving ratings.

KEO’s strong ethical brand reputation and innovative approach have resulted in its programming becoming ratings powerhouses and award winners.  A fact well illustrated by Exodus: Our Journey to Europe for BBC 2, Eden for Channel 4,  Skint for Channel 4, Hugh’s War on Waste for BBC 1, The Romanians are Coming for Channel 4 and the hugely successful River Cottage brand.

Discover more about KEO Films via their website >> www.keofilms.com/

At Utility House, we meet the needs of Bristol’s creative, ethical and start-up communities by providing workspace that is practical and adaptable. We have been fully let since we opened in 2015, so this is a rare opportunity to join our small community by leasing one of our light and airy studios.

From October 2020, we have two Studio’s available for rent.

Studio 2

Studio 2 is a medium sized office space on the ground floor of Utility House with access to a shared meeting room and kitchen shared with one other office. A 23.7sqm (255 sq ft) workspace, the space lends itself to be used as a shared office for 3-5 people, or a self-contained creative studio or workshop.

Download our brochure for more information & rental prices for Studio 2 – Click Here >>

Studio 3

Studio 3 is a is a large, light, open plan office with its own kitchen –  96sqm (1,030 sq ft) workspace. Situated on the 1st floor, it is accessible by stairs and serviced by a lift. The space is flexible, lending itself to subdividing into kitchen, break out and meeting spaces as well as a workspace large enough for between 8-16 desks.

Download our brochure for more information & rental prices for Studio 3 – Click Here >> 

FACILITIES INCLUDED

• 24-hour access
• Own secure front door
• Individual entry phone access
• Shared Kitchen (Private Kitchen for Studio 3)
• Shared bookable meeting room on ground floor
• W/C on each floor (disabled on ground)
• Outside Bike Storage

The rent is £14 per square foot and the service charge is £6 per square foot.

The service charge includes heating, lighting, electrics, gas, water, waste and recycling, cleaning to communal areas, building insurance and maintenance etc.

OUR ETHOS

We want people around us who share our approach to life and work. Our aim is to create a friendly and supportive community for creative businesses, start-ups and not-for-profits. Located on Upper York Street, between Stokes Croft and Wilder Street, Utility House is part of a thriving community with a host of good cafes and restaurants nearby.

Centrally located, Utility House is also conveniently situated a three-minute stroll from Cabot Circus, and lies within walking distance of Bristol Temple Meads, the main Bus Station, and within easy vehicle access to the M32.

If you would like to find out more about our workspaces, or come and have a look around, drop us an email info@utilityhousebristol.co.uk or call Jane on 07973 409450.

As our newest Studio 4 residents, we are delighted to welcome the Smallprint Team to Utility House.

In 2004 Maija Pykett became the originator of the fingerprint jewellery concept – a range of silver keepsakes capturing a loved one’s fingerprint in silver forever. It is now one of the world’s premier silver keepsake companies, and they make all types of personalised jewellery including handprints, footprints, original writing and drawings. They also offer a specialist service in bereavement scenarios through their Memory Treasures brand; and pet jewellery with Silver Pet Prints.

In this brief Q&A, we find out a bit more about Smallprint and how Maija got it started.

Tell me about when you first came up with the idea of fingerprint jewellery?

I made my first fingerprint pendant when my son was just 2 years old and I loved it! Having his tiny fingerprint hanging around my neck when I went off to work each day made him feel close to me all of the time.

But it wasn’t until a couple of years later that it dawned on me that something I found so precious would be equally loved by other mums. I was stood in a queue waiting to have my second son handprints taken when the penny dropped! I was continuously getting compliments on my necklace and I realised that every one of these mothers stood waiting would love to have the same.

How did you make this idea a reality?

Well, there was nothing like this out there at the time, so I had to start from scratch. I spent months perfecting my techniques and designing the range, the packaging and the branding. Right from the word go mums fell in love with it. And not just for themselves – they wanted cufflinks for proud dads and charms and key rings for doting grandparents. I’d created a family business for families.

So how did you come up with your logo?

That was the easy part! I found an exercise book from when I was about 7 and traced the letters I needed from my own handwriting!

You’ve grown your business through franchising, how does that work for such a personal product and service?

It was a no-brainer really, as it was the only way to maintain the personal service that Smallprint customers had received up until then. I really didn’t want to rely solely on eCommerce for sales. Since I launched the business in 2004, many companies have jumped on the fingerprint jewellery bandwagon, but most only offer online purchasing which means they only use moulds. Training jewellers to take prints and make jewellery to my same high standards wherever they lived, meant that our customers could continue to benefit from having a piece of jewellery that has actually been touched by their loved one. It also means that our customers can actually meet the person who is going to make their jewellery, see the pieces they have created and talk about what they would like to order. It doesn’t get much more personal than that!

So what would your advice be for anyone looking to buy a piece of fingerprint jewellery?

If you can, have someone take your print for you actually onto the silver rather than using a mould. It is the only guarantee of getting the best possible print and and what’s more your jewellery will have been touched by your loved one. And more importantly, go and see the jeweller’s samples so you can see the pieces they have made. Smallprint jewellers will take the fingerprint and show it to you there and then to make sure you are happy. They will talk with you about what you want engraved and where (at no extra cost).

But can you order online if you want to?

Yes indeed. As our family of jewellers has grown, so has our range of jewellery. We now offer hand and footprints, drawings, writing and our Tender Touch™ range is a more abstract and stylish way of capturing fingerprints and they can be ordered online. We know some people can only shop online and we want to accommodate that, but even then you will know exactly who has made your jewellery.

A final word?

As our family continues to grow I would like to say a big thank you to all of our customers and I hope you enjoy wearing your Smallprint jewellery for years to come.

Maija Pykett

While working in the heart of St Paul’s & Stokes Croft you really get to enjoy the wonderful variety of day-to-day activities, cultures, and spaces, which gives the area it’s unique vitality. However, as a visitor to the area it might be hard to stumble across this thriving community as sometimes the best kept secrets are hard to find, and are only noticeable due to small sign boards on the pavement!  So, to help you discover more about the local area, here are our top three favourite hidden gems;

FARRO BAKERY

Fantastic coffee and amazing pastries make’s FARRO BAKERY the only place to go for that mid-morning pick me up! Situated on the corner of Brunswick Square and Bond Street, you might recognise this small independent bakery’s name, as you will often find them serving up all sorts of delights across Bristol’s famous farmers markets. For as they suggest on their website; The bakery is fighting the good fight against the sliced white status quo and mediocre pastries!

https://farro.co.uk/

Coach House Café

After the Pear Café shut down in 2018, many of us locals were left wondering where we would go for a good lunchtime sandwich! However, we didn’t have to wonder for long, as the Coach House Café soon came to the rescue. Handily taking over Pear’s vacant premises, this small and friendly cafe offers a delicious range of salads, soups, sandwiches, porky baps, and enough sweet treats to make your mouth water. Though you can’t sit in, this takeaway is a staple for the local business community.

Milk Teeth

Established in 2017 on the corner of Bishop Street, Dean Street and Portland Square, Milk Teeth is a fantastic small independent coffee shop!  Alongside great coffee, comes a welcoming, intriguing and accessible interior which creates some seriously good vibes. From the prefect flat white to a scrumptious chai, and topped off with a little coconut macaroon side treat, Milk Teeth always delivers (normally by the owner himself Josh Bowker).  As Josh describes on the Milk Teeth website; It’s the small ones you want to watch… (Someone once said that to him about dogs, but he thinks it’s true of businesses, too.)

https://www.milkteethportlandsq.co.uk/

Utility House is having a creative makeover thanks to two students from the Surface Pattern Design course at the University of Wales Trinity St David.  Jess Hill and Stacey Mead also known at Pitch Collective, will be designing new signage and a range of fresh interiors for our entrance lobby and meeting room.

By focusing on bringing together the colours and patterns which already exist within Utility House, the students hope to create something fresh, zingy and bold, but also something still in keeping with the building’s sense of identity. Using both digital and traditional surface design techniques, Pitch Collective will be exploring how interiors can be decorative yet functional. Watch this space to see how the designs develop!

Situated in the heart of Stokes Croft, Bristol, Utility House is just steps away from a whole host of delicious restaurants.  Serving food from all corners of the globe, our local eateries serve up some of the best food in the area while still retaining that local Bristol feeling! Here are just some of our current favourites.

Jamaica Street Stores

A new addition to Stokes Croft, this restaurant evokes the same laid back attitude as its artisan neighbours, and with a range of unusual and tasty food combinations, it is no wonder this place is fast becoming a firm favourite in the area. With lunch menus starting from £10 and their ethical produce-focused menus mirroring the changing seasons in the UK, this restaurant is pure West Country food at its most contemporary and best!

https://jamaicastreetstores.com/

Ceres

If you are looking for some of the best coffee and comfort food this side of the river, then Ceres would be the top of our list. With a range of scrumptious cakes, delicious breakfasts, and tantalising lunch treats all served up by the lovely Dan, this Melbourne –inspired café is small but perfectly formed! We are just sad they don’t open for dinner!

https://en-gb.facebook.com/cerescoffee.co/

The tree is up and our tenants are like Christmas elves, busy making all their Christmas orders!  With the festive season upon us, everyone at Utility House is looking forward to gathering for mince pies and festive cheer before we all down tools for Christmas.

However if you are still searching for that perfect Christmas present, then look no further than two of Utility House’s residents – Tovi Sorga’s beautiful hand crafted printed leather, or a fabulous sound wave print from Yve Print Co. Who wouldn’t want to find these under their Christmas tree?

Tovi Sorga

Tovi Sorga, based in our ground floor studio,  is a British designer specialising in printed leather. His luxurious hand-crafted accessories are internationally renowned for their beautiful designs.  Together with his partner, Agnes Davis they design statement pieces as usable everyday objects such as tech cases, totes, notebooks and keyrings. Inspired by wild nature and the integration of contemporary and classic design, Tovi’s collections are truly unique. I’d be happy with anything from their collection in my stocking this year!

Check out Tovi Sorga’s website >>

Yve Print Co

Looking to make a music lover smile this Christmas? Then Yve Print Co based in our first floor ‘yellow’ studio, can turn a favourite song and it’s sound wave into a hand crafted work of art for you!  Yve Print Co believes good design relies on beautiful aesthetics and quality materials. From their studio at Utility House, they create personalised music related and typographic prints, for the home, with style and fun in mind. Check out their range of personalised services at Not On the High Street

Discover more about Yve Print Company >>