Kirkstall grade-II listed building undergoes extensive renovation

A historically significant property on Kirkstall Road, Leeds, which features 18th century wooden beams from Royal Navy warships, was undergone a full renovation.

Comprising of nearly 8,000 sq ft of quality office space, the Grade II-listed building at 471 Kirkstall Road has been extensively refurbished by Ilkley-based property developer and businessman Andrew Clark.

The top floor of the two-storey stone building has been let to Merison Retail UK Ltd.

Merison, which is one of the largest independent suppliers of food and non-food kitchen, table and outdoor products in Europe, has taken 3,860 sq ft on a 10-year lease.

After purchasing The Drying House for £325,000 in 2012, Mr Clark, who also owns Bedside Manor on Burley Road, Leeds, has spent more than £400,000 on renovating the building.

Mr Clark said: “This has been my first foray into property development and has been a real challenge and a labour of love. The building has a rich history, as its name suggests, and it was desperately sad to see the pitiful state of disrepair into which it had fallen.

“It has taken two and a half years of my life but I am proud to say the building has now been restored to its former glory. The top floor is now occupied by Merison, who have just moved in, and there is extensive interest in the 3,860 sq ft offices on the ground floor.

“In its heyday, the building, which overlooks the River Aire, was used as a drying house for leather goods, with the steam coming from water from the river. It was a hive of industry and part of Leeds’s rich history. It would have been a travesty had the building been demolished, as was once planned.”

Eamon Fox, partner and head of office agency at the Leeds office of global property consultancy Knight Frank, said: “Andrew has done a superb job, creating first-class open plan office space within an historic setting. The internal ambience of the building is wonderful.

“The Drying House also boasts an excellent location as Kirkstall Road is on the A65, the main arterial route out of Leeds city centre. It is only two miles away from the centre of Leeds and Kirkstall Road has recently been upgraded, offering easy access to and from suburbs of Leeds as well as the city centre. There are 25 parking spaces on site.

“The letting to Merison, before the building was actually completed, underlines its quality, as does the current strong interest in the ground floor. It is tremendous to see a building with such history thriving again.”