I won’t mince words: The air conditioner rattled, the plumbing was a leaky nightmare, and the front entrance made this awful clicking noise when the door wasn’t shut properly, until the least-patient of us got up and fixed it while cursing under their breath.

Silktide has been through a number of offices based in Derby, since the company founded in 2001. Now with our hybrid staff in Birmingham, and many of us working remote, the Derby office has been quiet as of late.

We’ve decided to close its doors for good.

It’s easy to cherry pick the bad memories (the plumbing took months to fix, MONTHS). They often linger the loudest, while the moments of contentment go understated.

Like the way we knew how each other’s day was going, and respected those who didn’t want to get into it.

The downstairs portion of our office, named Test Chamber 1 in reference to the video game Portal, filled with people at their desks, with neon lighting on the dark grey feature wall. (2019)
Test Chamber 1, now empty except for furniture. Evening light pours through the windows. (2025)

That sense of camaraderie you only get in a small start-up, where everyone’s buzzing with excitement on how we’re going to change the world for the better.

Two male staff, one with no shoes, having a chat in a room themed with 8-bit pixel art from the video game Fez. (2019)
The same room now, empty except for the wall art. (2025)

Sharing a room with the amazing people who’ve helped make Silktide into the multi-million dollar company it is today, reassured that they also spend a bit too long chatting over the coffee machine.

Two female staff looking at a computer screen in Test Chamber 1, with one standing beside the other with a pointed finger like she’s explaining something. Behind them is a light panel formation that resembles the Silktide S logo. (2019)
Test Chamber 2, the large upstairs portion of the office. A male staff member plays a ukulele as he watches someone else’s screen. An employee leans against his standing desk wearing headphones. Another Silktide S logo glows pink in the background. (2019)
Test Chamber 2, zoomed out to show the ten standing desks and Herman Miller chairs, with three staff members at work. The cable management wasn’t the tidiest. (2024)
Test Chamber 2, now empty, except for furniture. (2025)

Our last Derby office was like a pocket of Silicon Valley, back when that phrase felt optimistic. We had rooms inspired by our favorite video games, and shelves packed with our favorite drinks and snacks.

One of the smaller meeting rooms, called “Spaaace: Oxygen Deprivation Chamber” a nod to Portal 2. There’s a large wall print of the Earth viewed roughly from the stratosphere, with a seemingly infinite number of stars. It’s illuminated with small warm lights from the ceiling and a blue neon light below, behind a work desk. (2017)
Another meeting room, themed after the video game Monument Valley. It features unique artwork of a tower against a night sky, with characters placed here and there. The work desk in front of it has a telephone and a Monument Valley plush toy. (2017)

Best of all was the Garden room. Fake soft grass on the floor, a picnic table, sofas, and a large TV with games consoles. We had various meeting rooms, but only if Garden was taken.

A meeting in the Garden room. One staff member is perched on the tabletop of the wooden picnic table while everyone else gets a sofa. There’s a wall with vinyl stickers of trees, adorned with multicolor lights. (2019)
CEO Oliver Emberton taking a selfie in Garden with three cheerful developers seated behind him. Some Angry Birds plush toys are on the fake grass. (2025)
Celebrating a staff member’s birthday in Garden. She’s sitting on the grass and investigating her new inflatable giraffe, while people smile and enjoy the food. (2017)
The Garden room, now empty, except for the picnic table and some sofas out of place. The room has double glass doors, with text on them that reads: “Garden. Artificial Enjoyment Centre.” (2025)

I joined Silktide 9 years ago. We’ve grown a lot in that time (shout out to my hairline). Now, Silktide must lift-off and become the world-leading web governance platform it was meant to be.

With our new offices in Birmingham, Copenhagen, Berlin, Sydney, and Austin TX, we hope to embody the same spirit that got us here.

Sometimes looking back is the best way to move forward.

Which is why I’ve had enough of leaky pipes.

So long, Derby.

CEO Oliver Emberton, who is leaping in mid-air, celebrating his birthday in the Garden room in 2022 with lots of staff. Some of them connected via video call on a laptop.