The Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire is one of Sheffield’s most historic and respected institutions, with a heritage that spans hundreds of years. Based at the iconic Cutlers’ Hall, the organisation plays a vital role in preserving the city’s industrial and cultural legacy while hosting a wide range of modern events.

Cutlers’ Hall Hospitality operates the venue, welcoming conferences, ceremonies, weddings, and formal dinners throughout the year. The building itself is renowned for its grand halls, high ceilings, ornate chandeliers, and detailed architectural features—elements that demand regular care and maintenance to remain both safe and visually impressive.

Maintaining a historic venue of this scale presents ongoing challenges. Many essential tasks require safe access to high-level areas, often at heights that cannot be reached using standard ladders. These include lighting maintenance, decorative installations, cleaning, and occasional repairs.

Historically, such tasks could involve hiring specialist contractors or temporary access equipment, such as scaffolding. While effective, these options can be costly, time-consuming, and disruptive—particularly in a busy venue with a full events calendar. Cutlers’ Hall Hospitality needed a solution that would allow their in-house team to work safely at height, on demand, without repeated hire costs or unnecessary disruption.

Workplatform supplied a Genie AWP 25S, a compact and reliable aerial work platform ideally suited to indoor use. Its slim design allows it to be manoeuvred easily through doorways and positioned within large halls, while still offering the reach required to access chandeliers, ceilings, and high walls.

Crucially, the Genie AWP 25S provides a stable and secure working platform, enabling staff to carry out tasks efficiently while maintaining high safety standards—an essential consideration in a historic building.

Since being introduced, the Genie AWP has become an integral part of maintenance operations at Cutlers’ Hall. The machine is used regularly for a wide variety of tasks, including:

1. Cleaning and maintaining ornate chandeliers.

2. Wiping down walls and high-level surfaces in the Grand Hall.

3. Changing light bulbs across numerous elevated light fittings.

4. Decorating for events.

5. Event set up.

6. Carrying out ceiling repairs in other halls within the venue.

The flexibility of the machine allows staff to respond quickly to maintenance needs, whether planned or unexpected, without waiting for external support.

The Results

The introduction of the Genie AWP has already delivered measurable benefits. By reducing reliance on hired equipment and outside contractors, Cutlers’ Hall Hospitality has achieved significant cost savings. Tasks that once required advance planning can now be completed quickly and efficiently by the in-house team.

Equally important is the long-term value: the machine will continue to provide safe access to high-level areas for years to come, supporting both routine maintenance and special projects within the venue.

By supplying the Genie AWP, Workplatform has helped the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire and Cutlers’ Hall Hospitality maintain a prestigious historic building using a modern, practical access solution. The result is greater efficiency, improved safety, reduced costs, and the confidence to carry out essential work at height whenever required.

This project demonstrates how the right access equipment can make a meaningful difference—particularly in heritage venues where care, flexibility, and reliability are paramount.