Earlier this year, Engine Shed announced it would be closing its doors this December. For us here at Origin, it has been a huge part of our journey as it’s the first name anyone mentions when they talk about Bristol’s startup and innovation scene. It’s where SETsquared-affiliated founders found their feet, where Webstart and Oracle ran their incubator programmes, and where, by design, a first-time founder could end up in the same corridor as a council officer, an academic, or an international investor. That kind of informal, cross-sector mixing doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because a space is built to encourage it, and for 13 years, Engine Shed did that better than almost anywhere else in the country.
So when the news broke that Engine Shed is closing, with its programmes and community moving into the University of Bristol’s new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus this December, it wasn’t just a story about a building changing hands. It’s the next chapter for a community that’s helped shape the city we all get to work in.
Why this matters beyond one building
Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus is a brilliant next step. 38,000 square metres, focused on digital engineering, cyber security, quantum computing and advanced manufacturing, it’s a serious, long-term investment in Bristol’s future as a genuine tech and research hub, and, on the whole, the city should be proud of it. It gives Engine Shed‘s legacy a permanent, purpose-built home and puts Bristol firmly on the map for deep tech at a scale the old building could never have offered.
A campus like that will naturally have a sharper focus than a civic hub like Engine Shed did, simply because of what it’s built for. As that community grows into somewhere bigger and more specialised, it opens up space, quite literally, for other parts of the ecosystem to grow alongside it.
That’s where we think Origin has a role to play for small businesses, growing teams, and founders who value a flexible, walk-in-friendly base in the heart of the city while the bigger campus story unfolds.
Where does that leave Bristol’s businesses?
This is exactly the space Origin Workspace has spent seven years building for, and we see it as complementary to what’s happening at Temple Quarter rather than competing with it.
We’ve never asked our members to fit a single sector or a single stage of growth. Walk around our building today, and you’ll find energy and sustainability businesses working a few doors down from marketing and PR agencies, recruitment and HR consultancies, and everything in between, currently around 150+ member businesses, and growing. That mix isn’t incidental. It’s the point.
Where Engine Shed offered openness through its civic mission, and Temple Quarter will offer scale and specialism through its research focus, we offer flexibility: in-building decision-making, space that grows with you, and a community that spans every sector rather than one. Different spaces, same city, same ambition to see Bristol businesses thrive.
A good option to consider.
For the founders, freelancers, and growing teams who called Engine Shed home, this is simply a moment worth having options for. Some will find their next chapter at Temple Quarter, and we’re genuinely glad Bristol has a space like that to offer them.
For others, whether you’re an early-stage business looking for your first proper office, an established company wanting room to grow without signing away five years on a lease, or a team that just wants to be part of a mixed, connected business community, Origin might be worth a look too. There’s a desk, an office, or a corner of Bristol with your name on it here.
What this means for Bristol
Cities thrive when they have all kinds of space. Ambitious, research-led campuses that put Bristol on the map for deep tech and advanced manufacturing, and open, flexible, sector-agnostic workspace where any business, at any stage, can walk in and start building something. Bristol’s business community is fortunate to be gaining one while keeping the other.
As Engine Shed’s chapter closes, we want to congratulate everyone who has been part of its story over the last 13 years and wish the team every success as it moves into this exciting new phase at Temple Quarter. We’re proud to be part of a city that keeps making room for ambitious businesses to grow, in whatever shape suits them best.
Try Origin before Engine Shed closes
We know switching workspaces isn’t a decision to rush into, so we’d rather you try it than take our word for it. Take us up on a free Taster Day and experience the space for yourself – solo, with colleagues, or as a full team, in either our co-working or office space.
What’s more, throughout August, new and returning members get their first month free. Zero membership fees across each Membership.
If Engine Shed has been home base and you’re weighing up where’s next, come and spend a day with us to see if Origin is a good fit for you, well before the December deadline forces the decision.
Out of hours
Please note Origin Workspace is now closed if you have an out of hours emergency please continue to call us and you will be diverted to a duty manager. If your enquiry is not urgent, please complete the form on the Contact Us page.
Lounge members,
day pass users & visitors:
Mon-Fri: 8am to 6pm
Office, dedicated desk,
& hot desk members:
Mon-Fri: 6am – 9:45pm
Sat: 8am – 5:45pm
Sun: 9am – 4:45pm
