Victoria Riverside (Leeds)

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Victoria Riverside
Hunslet Mills - geograph.org.uk - 773980.jpg
Hunslet Mill (on the right adjacent to the river) and Victoria Works (on the left behind Hunslet Mill)
Victoria Riverside (Leeds)
Former namesHunslet Mill and Victoria Works Complex
General information
Completed1842
Renovated2017–2023
Technical details
MaterialBrick
Floor count7
Renovating team
Main contractorJM Construction
Other information
Number of units356

Victoria Riverside (Formerly known as the Hunslet Mill and Victoria Works Complex) is a series of very large previously disused mill buildings regenerated into apartment buildings in Goodman Street in Leeds.

Contents

Background

The complex contains five Grade II and Grace II* listed buildings, [1] plus two new buildings added during the regeneration project [2] from 2017 to 2023. [1] At the time of its completion, the mill was the largest regeneration project of its kind in Europe. [3]

History

1800–1970: Hunslet Mill and Victoria Works Complex

In 1838, the Victoria Works mill was constructed for W B Holdsworth. [4] Victoria Works was occupied by a tailoring company called Botterill & Senior from the 1930s [5] and later was owned by a firm of ironmongers called R H Bruce. [6]

The adjacent Hunslet Mill was constructed by William Fairbairn for John Wilkinson and completed circa 1842. [4] By 1847 some 1,500 female staff were employed in the mill reeling flax. [4] [7] The mill was occupied by a firm of linen manufacturers called Richard Buckton and Son [8] from 1868 [9] and then by a firm of blanket weavers called Dodgson and Hargreaves from the mid-1920s [5] until it closed in 1966. [10] [11]

R H Bruce moved out of Victoria Works in the early 1970s, where it stood alongside Hunslet Mill vacant until its redevelopment. [12]

2017–2023: Victoria Riverside

The complex, which had been derelict since the 1970s, was purchased by developers Evans Property Group and Caddick Developments. However these development plans ultimately failed to commence, [13] meaning that the complex remained derelict until the current developers, JM Construction, bought the site in the mid 2010s to redevelop it. [14] [15] The scheme was supported by Leeds City Council as a part of it's brownfield redevelopment plans. [16]

The project to redevelop the complex was approved by Leeds City Council in 2017 [17] [18] and construction began the same year. During the redevelopment a piece of newspaper was found dated 1919 amongst other artefacts by the developers. [7] The development, which is called Victoria Riverside, [19] [20] comprises of 356 apartments. [21] [7] The first phase of the redevelopment was completed in 2019. [22]

In 2019, Historic England praised the redevelopment and the developer for their "vision and commitment". [23] The final portion of the redevelopment being completed and sold for £17 million in 2023. [1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Media, Insider (7 March 2023). "Converted mill sold in £17m deal - Insider Media". Insider Media Ltd. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  2. ↑ "Historic mill to be developed". Yorkshire Evening Post. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  3. ↑ Morton, Jeremy (11 April 2017). "Historic buildings at heart of Hunslet Riverside regeneration plan". South Leeds Life. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "Hunslet Mill and Victoria Works Complex" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 March 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Hunslet Mill" . Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  6. ↑ "Atkinson Street, Victoria Mill". Leodis. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 Release, Press (9 November 2020). "Rare artefacts found at Hunslet Mill". South Leeds Life. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  8. ↑ "Frederick Ernest Buckton". Archived from the original on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  9. ↑ "Hunslet mills" . Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  10. ↑ "Barriers to entry" . Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  11. ↑ "No. 44160". The London Gazette . 1 November 1966. p. 11837.
  12. ↑ "Derelict Buildings in Leeds" . Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  13. ↑ "Is there trouble at t'mill?". Yorkshire Post. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  14. ↑ "Hunslet Mill from Yarn Street". Leodis. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  15. ↑ "Victoria Riverside" . Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  16. ↑ Lewis, Richard (9 March 2018). "Developing brownfield land is at the core of Leeds' ambition". Local Government Chronicle (LGC). Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  17. ↑ "Agenda for Executive Board on Wednesday, 19th April, 2017, 1.00 pm". democracy.leeds.gov.uk. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  18. ↑ "388 private residential apartment scheme in Leeds receives boost from £4.6m bridge loan". Yorkshire Post. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  19. ↑ "Yorkshire's former mills 'could create 9,000 new homes' - Historic England". BBC News. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  20. ↑ "Potential of Yorkshire's empty disused textile mills revealed". Yorkshire Evening Post. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  21. ↑ "Continued sales success for Leeds apartment scheme" . Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  22. ↑ Morton, Jeremy (16 April 2019). "Historic mill buildings brought back to life". South Leeds Life. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  23. ↑ Release, Press (23 August 2019). "Historic England applauds work on South Leeds mill conversion". South Leeds Life. Retrieved 22 August 2025.

53°47′05″N1°31′25″W / 53.7847°N 1.5237°W / 53.7847; -1.5237

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