Victoria Riverside (Leeds)

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.

Victoria Riverside
Hunslet Mill (on the right adjacent to the river) and Victoria Works (on the left behind Hunslet Mill)
Former names	Hunslet Mill and Victoria Works Complex
General information
Completed	1842
Renovated	2017–2023
Technical details
Material	Brick
Floor count	7
Renovating team
Main contractor	JM Construction
Other information
Number of units	356

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 its 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] consists 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

• Grade II* listed buildings in West Yorkshire
• Listed buildings in Leeds (City and Hunslet Ward - southern area)