British spectacle maker Cubitts opened The Yard on June 25, 2026, establishing a 13,000-square-foot headquarters and optical manufactory at 6 Blundell Street in King’s Cross, London, according to an official company announcement. The site consolidates frame making, lens production, design, repair, consultation, exhibition, and training under one roof to create a localized production model in central London.
The Yard Blundell Street Manufacturing Model
According to Cubitts, The Yard functions as an integrated ecosystem combining a factory, school, studio, and cultural space. The facility occupies former Victorian stables that previously served the Crosse & Blackwell vinegar brewery. The building centers on a large open courtyard utilized as a frame-making workshop where automated technology operates alongside manual labor. Frame production incorporates five-axis CNC machines, while company makers handle finishing and assembly by hand. The on-site optical laboratory features next-generation glazing and milling equipment designed by the company to reduce water and energy consumption.
Reviving London Optical Heritage
The project marks a return of optical manufacturing to an area historically tied to the craft. According to company statements, the streets surrounding Clerkenwell and King’s Cross formerly housed numerous British spectacle makers. The Yard revives this local heritage through a contemporary workshop. Master spectacle maker Lawrence Jenkin, who originally taught Cubitts founder Tom Broughton how to make frames, operates a workshop inside the new facility. Jenkin works alongside company makers to pass on traditional production techniques that have largely vanished from central London.
Design, Architecture, and Public Identity
Designed by architectural firm 51 Architecture, the headquarters showcases the building’s raw structural history. According to founder Tom Broughton, the renovation removed modern paint and fittings to expose London stock brick, original cobbled floors, pine boards, and 1980s post-modern concrete and purple ducting. A newly commissioned exterior mural by artist David Shrigley provides a public-facing identity for the facility. Additionally, a color scheme developed with Simon March balances the industrial Victorian fabric with interior warmth.
Community Spaces and Archives
The facility includes a commercial kitchen, communal dining space, a dedicated training academy for opticians and makers, and a design studio. According to Cubitts, the dining and kitchen areas allow the company to host talks, suppers, exhibitions, and industry events. The building also houses a growing archive containing a curated collection of historically significant spectacles spanning more than two centuries, alongside a bespoke consultation room for custom frame commissions.
Worth a look