Inside Herald Buildings: Rushbond unveils new town centre apartments in historic Harrogate building
Herald Buildings has been transformed into five homes in the heart of Harrogate. But what are buyers looking for from town-centre apartment living? Lizzie Murphy reports.
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A handful of blue dots mark the walls in the penthouse apartment at Herald Buildings, identifying the final snags to be dealt with before the first prospective buyers arrive in the new year.
The other four apartments are finished and ready to be lived in – complete with handmade kitchens, fitted storage and views across central Harrogate.
Over the last two years, the historic building, which has been a hotel, hospital, the Harrogate Advertiser offices, and a bar in the past, has been turned into five new homes on the upper floors and retail units on the ground floor.
The £6.5m project, just down the road from Bettys on Montpellier Parade, is being led by Yorkshire property investment and heritage specialist Rushbond and its residential arm, Fallowdale Homes, which acquired the building in 2021.
The city centre apartments could appeal to a number of different demographics, from professionals to retirees. But Rushbond knows that whoever ultimately buys them, will be looking closely at the quality.
Nina Barker, senior residential sales manager for Rushbond, says buyers’ expectations have changed considerably over the last 20 years. “People's expectations are so much higher,” she says. “People are a lot more discerning. They know when quality is quality.”
This is one of the reasons for the blue dots – everything has to be perfect when you’re asking people to spend between £700,000 and £850,000 for an apartment and £1.25m for a penthouse.
Local, independent and specialist craftsmanship is evident throughout the project; natural stone and brick additions to the outside of the building have been handmade by Furness Bricks in Askam-in-Furness.
Timber sash windows and French doors have been manufactured by Longwood Joinery in Wetherby. Each apartment features custom joinery and handcrafted detailing including kitchens, walk in wardrobes, fire surrounds and storage by interior woodwork specialists, Ryan McGinty Interiors in Malton.
Each apartment also has a parking space and EV charging, while the homes also have integrated appliances, concealed services and space that can be used for working from home.
Inside, the noise of the town disappears. “There’s a lot of movement outside. But when you’re inside, you just don’t feel that hustle and bustle,” says Nina.
Contemporary living spaces nod to building’s original charm with each apartment offering different views and layouts to create a collection of individual homes.
The conversion includes a new rear staircase and core to make the building suitable for residential use and meet modern regulations. “We took a considerable amount of care and attention in how we developed the core of the building and the upper floors, previously offices for the newspaper, to an entirely new use,” Nina says.
The original stone herald birds on the building are another example of the work involved. Dating from the 1850s, they were removed and sent to Sheffield for restoration. Once the layers of paint had been stripped away, the fire terracotta beneath was revealed and the birds were regilded before being returned to their original positions.
The most difficult part of the project, says Nina, was the logistics of carrying out major construction work in the centre of Harrogate while the town continued around it.
The development has received plenty of interest over the two-year renovation. Nina says that before the apartments were formally launched, she received 140 enquiries over a period of 16 to 17 months from people who had spotted the building, researched it and contacted her directly despite there initially being little more than a ‘coming soon’ sign.
Among them was someone who had met his wife while they both worked for the Harrogate Advertiser and had subsequently been married for 40 years.
The development, which will be managed by Alice Simpson, residential portfolio manager, also reflects a growing emphasis on the less visible workings of a home.
Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, an air-source heat pump and other energy-efficiency measures have been incorporated, while the apartments have been designed with concealed technology and services.
Nina says buyers are increasingly prepared to ask questions about how homes are built and how they perform, rather than simply judging the finished appearance. “You can’t fob them off,” she says. “Everything needs to be right.”
Viewings for the first four apartments have just started, so buyers can see how the apartments work for themselves.
The competition may be tough among sellers at the moment but Nina is confident that Herald Buildings offers something unique. “This is going to be an opportunistic purchase. This is an iconic landmark and there are currently four opportunities,” she says. “At this price range, it's going to be somebody that's got cash in the bank that wants a pied-à-terre in in Harrogate and the kudos of saying that they have a property here."