Project of the week

St Matthew’s Church was built in 1870 during a population boom in Kingston-upon-Hull. Designed by Leeds architectural practice Adams & Kelly, the building featured an exceptionally tall brick spire – the tallest in Hull – that rapidly became a local landmark. After serving the community for nearly 145 years, the church closed in 2013. However, enterprising local housing provider Giroscope rapidly saw potential in the former church.

Giroscope was first founded in the 1980s by a group of students and young unemployed people determined to take action to resolve a shortage of local affordable accommodation. Over decades, they had already transformed 150 derelict buildings to provide social housing and retail units for social enterprise businesses in west Hull. 

At St Matthew’s, they have revitalised the former church and created a community-led co-working centre, with offices, meeting rooms and co-working desks on offer. The centre also features a collection of rooms and spaces to hire, as well as added business mentoring to support local freelancers and small businesses to succeed. 

Since opening in 2025, over 1,600 users have already joined the community at St Matthew’s Community Enterprise Centre, with business users particularly valuing the beautiful architecture and supportive environment at the Centre, which gives them confidence to succeed. 

‘From arts and culture to business and innovation, our beautiful and inspiring venue is putting our neighbourhood on the map, locally, regionally, and globally.’ 

Martin Newman, Co-Founder, Giroscope