The Container King

"With a keen eye for innovation and a passion for creating unique spaces, Martin is currently spearheading an exciting project: a shipping container café and bistro that promises to redefine casual dining. This venture is not just about serving food; it’s about crafting an atmosphere that blends creativity with community engagement, making it a must-visit destination.”

Steelyard Kelham’s neighbours, it transpires, feel slightly differently about the container park on their doorstep. The description above comes from a contact page for local businessman, Martin McGrail. Over the years McGrail has launched several businesses in very different areas (17, by one count). The golden thread running through many of them: shipping containers.

Take his homeless accommodation initiative. Stood in Tudor Square in 2019, with a bright blue shipping container behind him, McGrail said his MySleeper system would help put an end to homelessness and make it easier to get on the first step of the housing ladder. Each unit contained a living area which doubled as a bedroom, a bathroom including a shower and a small kitchen. After hosting his open day, McGrail attempted — unsuccessfully — to persuade Sheffield City Council to provide the land for him to put the containers on.

Or there was the most famous example — the Fargate Container Park. Now known affectionately as “Containergate”, the attraction was meant to reinvigorate the down-at-heel area by increasing footfall. However, it turned into one of the city’s most costly and embarrassing failures. Originally meant to open in January 2022, it didn’t open until October and closed just four months later.

But the biggest business outing so far for McGrail is Steelyard Kelham. Opened in 2017 on Bardwell Road in Neepsend, it features 60 containers arranged around a central courtyard. The dream was to offer a “unique and vibrant atmosphere, as well as a wide variety of food, drink, and entertainment options” including a “carefully curated mix of independent businesses, including food and drink vendors, retailers, and event spaces”. But The Tribune has seen evidence that much is not well at Steelyard Kelham — and the local neighbourhood is suffering as a result.