The Crosse & Pickle Factory

Major urban regeneration in exciting new quarter developed by London Square

On the site of the former Crosse and Blackwell factory – home of Branston Pickle – Orbit Architects has designed the Cat A fit out in two developments- The Pickle Factory & The Crosse.  

The overall development will provide a new, vibrant community with open squares and public spaces. The development will host a major new art gallery along with artists’ studios and is only minutes from the buzz of the bars and restaurants of Bermondsey Street. The unique Bermondsey blend of old and new, art and commerce, trendy and exclusive has made it one of the most fascinating London neighbourhoods; it’s the new heart and soul of SE1.

The first phase covered the ground and first floors of The Crosse, which is a new build development, and created 10,967sqft of fully fitted Cat A office and retail units. The units have been designed to offer a variety of sizes and they can easily be combined to provide larger, self-contained office spaces over two floors.  

The Pickle Factory takes the lowest 3 floors of the existing assembly of warehouse buildings. The building will be repurposed for office and residential renting with a ‘retrofit first’ approach; offering 77,000 sq feet of warehouse office space with cool workspaces, trendy bars, cafés and art galleries, surrounding a central atrium with an ETFE roof.  

We took great care to maximise the flexibility of the working environment, to enhance the existing heritage assets of the building.

History of the Building:

The secret recipe of E Lazenby & Sons Harvey’s Sauce saw the pickle manufacturers become a household name and they expanded by purchasing their “gigantic kitchens” on Crimscott Street, Bermondsey. In 1919 the company was fused with Crosse and Blackwell and 5 years later The Branston Pickle Brand was born and stirred into Bermondsey’s history.  

Crosse and Blackwell was founded in 1929 when two apprentice friends – Edmund Crosse and Thomas Blackwell bought out the grocers West and Wyatt. Making pickles, preserves and bottled fruit, Crosse and Blackwell are said to have produced a quarter of London’s jam consumption. In 1924 a new kitchen was built on the Crosse and Blackwell site which was known as the ‘Great Addition’ and the factory continued to concoct chutneys, jellies, and relishes until 1969.  

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Photography by Edward Hill Photography