Lord Tredegar’s former estates office in the heart of Newport has emerged as a beacon of business excellence for the city after a complete refurbishment and rejuvenation.
Dating back to 1905 the listed building at Pentonville, Gold Tops, in the middle of the city of Newport’s commercial and professional district, it was officially opened by Mayor of Newport, Matthew Evans.
Bought by private investors from the South of England after previously being used as court house but latterly empty the historic building, now renamed The Estates Office, offers ultra modern office accommodation.
Opening the building Cllr Evans said: “A fantastic job has been done to bring this historic listed building back to life. We all express our thanks and admiration to the new owners for the way that they have invested in this superb building and have created a fabulous new business centre in an environment that is steeped in history.”
Cllr Evans said: “It is remarkable to see how quickly tenants have taken space in the building. I understand that just two of the six tenants were previously based in Newport so that, in itself, is a real success story.
Haydn Thomas, of letting agents Hutchings and Thomas Chartered Surveyors who are tenants in the building, welcomed guests to the official opening. Mr Thomas said: “The Estates Office has had an extremely important part to play and a significant place in the history of Newport.
“The building was the main estates office for the Tredegar Estates and as such helped shape and develop a great deal of this part of South East Wales. “
Mr Thomas said: “We were delighted that the new owners had the vision for the future use of this very important building which, it is fair to say, has had a chequered history in recent years.”
Hutchings and Thomas has been successful in letting some 75% of the available space in The Estates Office. Gloucester headquartered Architect’s Robert Limbrick has opened its regional office at The Estates Office and is already looking to expands ion the building.
Mr Thomas said: “The opening of The Estates Office along with the recent opening of Admiral Insurance office in Queensway and the Friars Walk scheme, in the centre of the city, proves that the economy of the city is a bright one.
“Hutchings & Thomas have been involved in the commercial economy of Newport for very many years, for some 20 years of which I have been part of the company. We see Newport in a superb position to ride the current wave of confidence and this is reflected in the inward investment to the city we have witnessed recently. This experience is being reflected in the conversations we have been having with potential investors into the city from the south east of England and indeed other parts of the UK.”
Mr Thomas thanked Claire Broome, of Parade Design, a tenant of the building, for her work in branding the building and arranging the launch, John Morton of Dina Builders, for refurbishment of the building and managing agent, Justin Kingdon.
