The Bradford Telegraph & Argus is to relocate to one of the finest 17th century buildings in the city.
The Telegraph & Argus, part of the Newsquest newspaper group, is moving its offices to the newly-restored Grade II-listed Newhall, which fronts Rooley Lane and was previously the clubhouse of West Bowling Golf Club.
Newhall has been lovingly restored by leading West Yorkshire development and investment company Frank Marshall Estates, run by Edward and Jimmy Marshall.
The building, dating back to 1672, has been comprehensively refurbished and is now split into two wings. Frank Marshall Estates themselves are based in the East Wing and the T&A will take 2,075 sq ft of quality office space in the West Wing.
In addition, the newspaper is taking a further 2,550 sq ft of storage and distribution space in Frank Marshall Estate’s highly-successful adjacent Nano Park.
Edward Marshall commented: “The Telegraph & Argus has been serving the Bradford region with distinction for more than 150 years. It is a West Yorkshire institution. We are proud – and honoured – to have such a prestigious tenant as our neighbours at Newhall.
“We love our offices here at Newhall and we are confident that the T&A will as well. We feel very much part of the Bradford community and I know how important that is for a newspaper like the T&A. They need to be connected to their readers.
“New Hall is a tremendous building, which had fallen on hard times, and we are proud that it is our new home. We have invested in excess of £500,000 in its regeneration and it has been restored to the highest of standards.
“The offices at Newhall are a mixture of old and new, of cutting edge office space with a wonderful historical ambience. I feel that reflects the T&A, a traditional newspaper which has adapted brilliantly to the challenges of the 21st century.”
“We have had several people interested in the building but we wanted to hold out for a real Bradford tenant and I believe we have ended up with the best we could ever have hoped for,” he said.
Jimmy Marshall added: “Our Bradford heritage is extremely important to us, so this is a very significant letting for us. It is also worth mentioning that all the contractors and suppliers for the prestigious Newhall restoration project were from the Bradford region.”
New Hall is a fine example of a West Riding yeoman’s house. Dating from the Restoration era of the late 17th century, it is also a fairly late example of this distinctive style of vernacular architecture which was being replaced by emerging Classical influences.
Matthew Jennings of property consultancy Eddisons, who have successfully marketed and promoted The Newhall and the Nano Park, commented: “I am delighted that our advice and strategy resulted in a sale of Newsquest’s existing Bradford city centre office block and former press hall on Hall Ings, coupled with securing their relocation to perhaps the best office currently available in the city.
“We knew from day one that we needed a specific high quality tenant for Newhall to mirror that of the building and Frank Marshall Estates have done an amazing job in a sensitive and superb refurbishment, creating the perfect blend of historic and modern office space within a building with a rich history
“At the same time, we secured the last Bradford Nano Park unit for Newsquest as well, a development that has been highly popular – with the developer rolling out similar schemes in Leeds and Wakefield,” said Mr Jennings.
Jon Ackroyd, Senior Conservation and Design Officer at Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council, commented: “Frank Marshall Estates have demonstrated a level of dedication which the building badly needed and deserved. Its future was uncertain after several years standing empty and vulnerable to theft. The renovated building is a tribute to the ability of KPP Architects to sympathetically introduce modern contemporary features and finishes into this historic building.
“They now have a building which is a tremendous advert for their business and something to be immensely proud of. The building has been revitalised demonstrating the benefit of a positive working relationship between owners, architects and local authority heritage officers. New Hall now has a secure future, illustrating the way old buildings can accommodate the best of modern facilities and allowing it to thrive and be appreciated long into the future,” he added.
Walker Singleton were joint agents on the scheme.
