Our History

The Birth of The Foundry

The Foundry Climbing Centre opened its doors in Sheffield on 16th December 1991. It was the brainchild of, Jerry Moffatt and Paul Reeve, who shared a bold idea, to create a new generation of indoor climbing walls which had not been seen in Britain.

The journey began in 1991 when Jerry was climbing in France with his good friend Arnold T. Kint.

As Jerry recalls:

"At the time, I was a professional sponsored climber. I contacted Alpin Climbing Walls, who were the main builders of the walls in Belgium and arranged a meeting to discuss sponsorship. When I visited and saw their walls, I was blown away, I was so excited I brought an early video camera and filmed what I saw. Although nothing came of the sponsorship, I returned to the UK and showed the footage to Mark Vallance and Dick Turnbull of the Outside Climbing Shop (Britains largest climbing shop at the time). I wanted to get them excited about a joint venture to build a climbing wall in Sheffield. They immediately saw the potential. They visited the walls in Belgium, and we agreed in principle to do something together if I could find a suitable venue.”

Unbeknown to Jerry, another climber, Paul Reeve, had a similar vision. After seeing climbing walls in Hong Kong in 1987, Paul, then a student in Sheffield. Working with his friend Jim Kelly, they searched for a venue, eventually finding an old foundry being used as a carpet warehouse in Neepsend, near Sheffield city centre.

Through the climbing grapevine, Paul heard that Jerry was also looking for a venue. He invited Jerry down to see the Foundry:

"When I first saw it, I thought it was absolutely perfect, the right height, the right space, and the right price. Speaking to Paul, it made total sense to get Mark Vallance and Dick Turnbull involved so we could do something together."

At the time, opening a climbing wall in Sheffield, with the Peak District’s free gritstone and limestone climbing just minutes away, seemed risky. No one knew if people would pay to climb indoors. But the team believed in the idea.

After pulling together funding from Sheffield City Council, Sport England, NatWest Bank, and private investors, the building was purchased, and contracts were awarded to DR Climbing Walls and Bendcrete.

By the end of 1991, the dream became reality: The Foundry Climbing Centre was born. It included The Wave, The Main Wall, plus, a café, a bar, and a specialist climbing shop run by Outside

The Centre featured:

Early Days and Challenges

Jerry remembers those uncertain first days:

"I remember the first week, it rained a lot, and we were absolutely dead! Hardly anyone came in. I really thought we had blown it, and that people wouldn’t pay for climbing. Fortunately, I was wrong, slowly but surely climbers started to come down."

The Foundry soon became a hub of excitement, buzzing with climbers eager to experience something new. In the first year alone, the centre’s popularity soared, so much so that other walls soon followed.

Indoor climbing was taking off, and The Foundry was right at the forefront.

Growth and Evolution (1991–1995)

Between 1991 and 1995, The Foundry continued to expand:

Outside moved into the courtyard buildings alongside Jagged Globe.
The original shop space was transformed into a new climbing area called The Furnace, built by Crispin Waddy.

The Foundry hosted numerous National and Regional Climbing and Bouldering Competitions, including the celebrated Foundry International Bouldering Competition, an event that a young Chris Sharma would win. Subsequently other climbers such as, Shauna Coxsey, Alex Megos, Margo Hayes and Jakob Schubert have gone on to compete at The Foundry.

Other climbers to climb at The Foundry include Alex Honnold (Free Solo film), Adam Ondra.

Jerry, Ben Moon and Steve McClure have trained for sport climbing and pushed international and national standards. Some of Steve McClures routes are amongst some of the hardest in the country, he continues to train at The Foundry.

Training at The Foundry still facilitates climbers to be able to compete at a world class standard.

As the indoor climbing scene grew, professional route setting exploded. Graded set problems became the norm (The Foundry was the first in Britain to do this), attracting both newcomers and seasoned climbers looking to sharpen their skills.

Setting the Training Standard

The Foundry helped pioneer strength and conditioning training for climbers by introducing:

Campus boards
Woodies (steep training boards with wooden holds)
Gymnastic rings and pull-up bars

These quickly became essential tools for climbers training for both indoor competitions and outdoor projects.

Becoming a Community Hub

After a period of consultation and reflection between 2015 and 2016, The Foundry made a major decision: it restructured its operations and, in 2018, officially became a non-profit Community Interest Company, operated by climbers for the Sheffield climbing community.

Modernisation and Legacy

In April 2020, nearly 30 years since it first opened, The Foundry, supported by Sport England and its passionate membership, underwent a major upgrade, modernising:

Reception and infrastructure
Bouldering areas
Training facilities

Today, The Foundry remains a cornerstone of Sheffield’s vibrant climbing culture, a place to climb, train and meet new friends.

From a bold idea sparked in France and Belgium, to a thriving hub for climbers across the UK, The Foundry’s story is still being written, every day, by every climber who walks through our doors.