Lodge facelift first step in village vision

Developer St James Securities has converted Shaw Lodge House, a 4,000 sq ft grade two-listed building at Shaw Lodge Mills in Halifax, into 10 small offices. A garage built onto the mill manager’s office in the 1930s was demolished for car parking.

Several businesses moved into Shaw Lodge Mills last year and work began to convert the imposing building at the entrance into modern office space.

Oliver Quarmby, director of St James Securities, said: “We have restored the splendid Shaw Lodge House to its former glory. It now boasts a new roof, a new car park and new external landscaping, whilst its masonry has been cleaned and repaired.

“Internally, it has been completely redecorated and there are new heating and electrical systems, together with new WCs and kitchens.”

The tenants in the building include Halifax MP Linda Riordan and telecommunications firm TTG, while financial advisers Investing for Tomorrow have just taken a 720 sq ft suite. The quoted rent is £13.50 per sq ft.

There are three suites still available, ranging from 245 sq ft to 288 sq ft.

This is the first major piece of work on the path to restoring the mill complex. The developer is now embarking on a similar programme with offices in the former design studios, where there is 926 sq ft available.

There are now 19 tenants at the Shaw Lodge site across the office, industrial and educational sectors, including the West Riding Stonecarving Association, The Artworks craft school and Creative International Adventures, which organises adventure holidays.

Mr Quarmby said: “This will provide an attractive gateway and shows that we are moving forward on site. As we come out of the recession, we expect companies will be searching for high quality affordable space and we intend to supply that at Shaw Lodge.”

St James Securities had to revise plans for the rest of the site because of the recession and changing demands for housing.

When Mr Quarmby first came up with proposals for the former John Holdsworth factory, in 2006, the plan was to convert the mills into an urban village, complete with houses, offices, shops, restaurants and a medical centre.

Mr Quarmby said: “In the longer term, we are looking to fulfil our dream of an urban village on this unique site, but we believe it is in everyone’s best interests to proceed carefully as the property market begins to recover from a deep recession. Ultimately, it would be tremendous to have people both living and working on this historic site.”

He added: “The redevelopment of the rest of the site will be spearheaded by commercial developments so that the original plans for dozens of houses, retirement homes, a health centre, restaurant, shops and even a hotel can be revived in time.

“There is already a great community spirit on site, a number of diverse, go-ahead companies enjoying working in such an attractive and atmospheric environment.”

Colin Roberts, of Halifax-based agents Walker Singleton, said: “These are exciting times at Shaw Lodge.

“There is office space, industrial accommodation, workshops and studios, storage and other accommodation available on site for individuals, start-up businesses and companies.

“We are very keen to hear from anybody with a space requirement who would be interested in joining the growing community at the mills.”

John Hendy, the managing director of Creative International Adventures, added: “Working here will become a wonderful way of life, rather than just being part of an anonymous business venue.”

The mills were founded in the 1820s by John Holdsworth and remained in the ownership of the same family until 2005, employing 3,000 people at their height.

The main product woven at the complex was moquette, used for covering seats on trains and buses across the world.

It was a prestigious company and a world leader in its field. The last loom fell silent in September 2008.

Mr Quarmby said: “St James Securities are acutely aware of the wealth of history and tradition at Shaw Lodge and we are looking forward to transforming the site into a thriving community for the 21st century.

“Our refurbishment works to Shaw Lodge House are a major step on this exciting journey.”

A towering achievement

Earlier this year, a crumbling landmark at historic Shaw Lodge Mills was saved with the help of an emergency grant from English Heritage.

The 200ft chimney on the site, which was built in 1855, received £13,500 towards the £27,000 repair costs. Rain and ice had corroded metal bands around the chimney which caused masonry to drop off.

Work involved replacing rusted metal braces and removing loose stonework, repointing and replacing damaged mortar. English Heritage architect Richard Jaques said the chimney was part of an important complex of worsted mill buildings.