Historic mill proves a hit — on and off screen

Posted on 9 June, 2014 by Cliff Goodwin

A West Yorkshire mill complex — listed among the top ten per cent of Britain’s most important historic buildings — is proving equally popular with television viewers as it is with its business tenants.

Historic-mill-proves-a-hit-on-and-off-screen

Dalton Mills’ historic Clock Tower has become a thriving business hub since the sprawling 1860s site was acquired by Northampton-based Bellissimo Workspace last year. Its boss, Paul Harris, is investing £30m in renovating the Grade II listed Keighley building and converting its iconic Clock Tower and Riverside Workshop into a 50,000sq ft business hub.

The first phase of the regeneration, to create 20,000sq ft of high-quality open plan office space, has now been completed and is available on flexible leases from as little as £5 per sq ft, making it ideal for start-up businesses. There are also a number of workshops and storage spaces available in other parts of the building.

But with 85 per cent of the office space already taken by a range of ventures, and work about to start on creating more offices and retail and leisure units, the Dalton Lane site is now also attracting the attention of film and television production companies.

Listed on the Creative England website, Harris finds himself fielding an increasing number of enquiries from location scouts searching for original Victorian features to add authenticity to their productions. Dalton Mills has already become a popular backdrop for dozens of films and TV programmes and has “starring” roles in hit dramas such as Peaky Blinders, Bedlam, North and South, and a host of Bollywood films.

In its heyday, Dalton Mills was a thriving manufacturing base employing more than 1,000 men, women and children. As the industry suffered so, too, did the fortunes of the building and by the 1980’s was virtually abandoned. It was purchased by Magna Holdings 10 years ago, but continued to be dogged by bad luck, including a major 2010 blaze, and when the company went into administration the entire 200,000sq ft building was put on the market.

“Dalton Mills was a building which immediately caught my eye as I personally think it is beautiful and offers so much scope and potential,” admitted Harris. “That is why I would like to hear from business people and commercial ventures in the region who could envisage their future in this wonderful setting.”

In November last year English Heritage upgraded the building to Grade II status. Although the change in listing means stricter controls about preserving the property, it may also offer greater access to funding to speed up the restoration, he explained.

“After numerous meetings with the local council, planners and English Heritage, whom have all been extremely supportive, I am confident that we can work together to create a sustainable future for Dalton Mills which benefits the local area and wider community,” concluded the healthcare entrepreneur.




Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


Recent Posts

Interest Rates Impact on Commercial Property

Commercial Property Investment Outlook for 2023

The best places to stay on the Riviera

The latest property data has identified Newquay as the fastest property seller’s market in the UK

Investing in your garden can increase your property’s value

French Riviera temping high-end homebuyers

How can the ownership rights of my commercial property impact a business sale?

Should I incorporate virtual property viewings permanently?

Investment expected to increase across Asia-Pacific in 2021

UK property industry slows as the conclusion of tax break looms

BNP Paribas cautioned investors on Friday as debt-trading bonanza that increased its earnings this past year

Over 300,000 property purchases fell through in 2020 – we show the most frequent motives and the best way to get your house sale back on track

House Prices in the Capital Surpass £500,000

Optimism from the Bank of England’s chief economist

The most expensive commercial properties.

Businesses operating from shared premises will miss out on grants