Commendation for best mixed-use development
Metal works
At the beginning of the 19th century, Holbeck was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution in Yorkshire.
In 1791, John Marshall built a mill on Water Lane to produce linen, and in 1817 started building the mighty Marshall’s Mill, which was one of the most prosperous flax mills in Leeds when it was completed in 1830, and is now a Grade II* listed building. Between 1818 and 1841, he built an even larger complex of flax mills and offices called Temple Mills (because it resembles an Egyptian temple and was built to the designs of Joseph Bonomi), which is Grade I listed.
But it is Matthew Murray’s Round Foundry that is Holbeck’ greatest claim to fame in industrial archaeology circles, because it is said by English Heritage to be “the first and best surviving fully integrated engineering works to be built.”
Dating from 1795, four of Murray’s buildings in Foundry Street are Grade II listed, and two of them are starred. In 1991 the industrial area of Northern Holbeck was designated as a conservation area, not simply to preserve it but to encourage its regeneration as a sustainable community. With growing pressure for the redevelopment of derelict industrial buildings, Building Design Partnership was appointed by Leeds City Council and Yorkshire Forward to prepare a master plan based on Urban Village principles to enable Holbeck to become a genuine mixed-use quarter of Leeds, not dominated by large offices or retail development but one where residential property is the dominant use.
The 3.7-acre Round Foundry area containing seven listed buildings at the centre of the proposed Holbeck Urban Village was the first to be tackled by commercial developers CTP St James, a joint venture between CTP Limited of Manchester and St James Securities of Leeds, who restored, converted or built some 50,000 sq ft of offices and 24,000 sq ft of retail, including a pub, a restaurant and a coffee bar.
Crosby Homes (Yorkshire) was brought in to handle the residential development, consisting of 88 new or converted apartments designed by Building Design Partnership, with garages or car parking spaces on a 1:1 ratio. These apartments are in four buildings ranging from two to four storeys in height with frontages to Butcher Street and Marshall Street, both of which are turnings off Water Lane, where John Marshall helped start the Industrial Revolution.
The four blocks of apartments were marketed in the names of four metals - iron, steel, copper and nickel – and were sold of-plan so quickly that there was no time to do more than produce a preliminary sales
brochure with CGIs and no need for a show apartment, so there are no photographs of any of the interiors of the apartments.
HomeBuilder: CROSBY HOMES (YORKSHIRE) LIMITED
Morwick Hall, Mortec Park, York Road, Leeds LS15 4TA
Tel 0113 265 2000 Fax 0113 265 6000
Contact: Phil Darcy, Managing Director
Email: pdarcy@crosbyhomes.co.uk
Website: www.crosbyhomes.co.uk
Architects: BUILDING DESIGN PARTNERSHIP
Sunlight House, PO Box 85, Quay Street, Manchester M60 3JA
Tel 0161 834 8441 Fax 0161 832 4280
Contact: Jill Hutson, Marketing Manager
Email: ja-hutson@bdp.co.uk
Website: www.bdp.co.uk