Major refurbishment gives historic Hull building new lease of life

79 Lowgate, which was built in 1881, has now been transformed into a modern office building.

A spokesman said: “Up to 175 staff in Hull City Council’s social services teams, will now relocate there from Brunswick House on Beverley Road and other local offices, as part of the council’s ambition to bring its staff into one central area known as the Guildhall campus.”

The work was carried out by Yorkshire construction firm, Hobson & Porter, which won the contract via the YORBuild2 framework and as part of the procurement process.

Hobson & Porter has now completely refurbished and reconfigured the five-storey building, complete with new staircases, changing rooms, showers and kitchen facilities on every floor.

79 Lowgate was originally the headquarters of wine and spirits merchant Samuel Mason. More recently it was used as the City Record Office by Hull City Council, but it has been empty since 2010, when the archives were transferred to the Hull History Centre.

Paul McKenzie, site manager from Hobson & Porter, who led the 12-month project, said: “The age and condition of 79 Lowgate meant we faced a number of challenges on this project.

“It’s very rewarding to be able to repurpose a building for the 21st century, while maintaining all the architectural heritage and elegance that makes 79 Lowgate so special.

“This included everything from restoring the spindles and handrails on the spiral staircase up to the turret, which was originally a lookout for boats coming into Hull loaded with wine and spirits, through to discovering the original cobbled loading bay when we dug down at the rear of the building.”