A landmark office building in Beverley is now a bustling hub of business and learning following a successful restoration, remodelling and refurbishment programme.
Minster House forms part of the market town’s thriving Flemingate centre and has been sympathetically modernised by owner Wykeland Group in a £550,000 project.
The revamped 19th century building, in the shadow of Beverley Minster, now houses offices of brand specialist Miller Graphics UK and global food and pet food industry supplier BHJ as well as an East Riding College adult learning facility.
Minster House’s convenient location means staff, clients and other visitors have the benefits of shops, cafés and restaurants within the thriving Flemingate retail and leisure destination on their doorstep, as well as excellent transport links, with Beverley Rail Station just a short stroll away.
David Donkin, Property Director of Hull-based Wykeland, developer and owner of the Flemingate centre, said: “We’re delighted that Minster House is now such a busy and a vibrant workspace and learning environment. That has justified our very significant investment in fully renovating and modernising this characterful building.
“The new occupiers are very welcome additions to the thriving community at Flemingate as it continues to grow as a place for people to shop, socialise, spend leisure time, work and study.”
Miller Graphics UK, an industry-leading business bringing brands to life through digital imaging and other services, was the first new occupier to move into Minster House in March last year, relocating from its previous base in Bridlington after more than 30 years.
Part of the Miller Graphics Group, the business operates in 11 countries worldwide and moved its 20-strong UK team to the 3,330 sq ft second floor of the building just before the first Covid lockdown.
Neil Theobald, Studio Supervisor at Millers Graphics UK, said: “We moved into Minster House just before lockdown last year but then worked from home. Now it’s great to have the whole team coming back to the office in a phased return with varied hours for each member of staff.
“It’s important to restore confidence for everyone in and around the office after a long time away working from home due to Covid 19, but Minster House is our home and everyone loves working here.
“We’re a creative company and having a modern workspace we can make our own is really important to us. Minster House is also a great location for our staff and customers.
“We’re looking forward to growing as a business in fit-for-purpose offices which match our business culture.”
BHJ is a leading supplier of animal protein raw materials for the international food and pet food industries. While its headquarters are in Denmark, the business has processing facilities and offices in Asia, Europe, North America, employing more than 900 staff worldwide.
BHJ’s UK team of nine occupy 1,600 sq ft of the ground floor at Minster House, having relocated from former premises in Hull.
Jon Constable, Managing Director of BHJ, said: “Our move to Minster House is a cultural change for us. Part of our vision and mission is investing time, energy and resources in the right facilities for our people and this a much more employee-friendly environment than our previous base.
“This is a modern, spacious and high-quality environment for our staff to feel safe and secure working in the office following the pandemic.
“It’s an ideal location for us, next to a hotel, restaurants and bars, where we can entertain our customers and suppliers. We’ve made the space our own, including installing a glass panelled wall to create a boardroom.”
The most recent occupant is East Riding College, which has taken over 4,000 sq ft of the first floor of Minster House with four large classrooms for adult learning, expanding the college’s main campus facilities already located at the Flemingate centre.
Two hundred staff and students are benefiting from the additional bespoke space, which is used by adult learners, including people training to become mental health counsellors and others studying health and social care.
Neil Waterhouse, Vice Principal at East Riding College, said: “Minster House is a really valuable extension of our campus and represents the growth we’ve seen in student numbers.
“Our counselling courses have grown significantly and we need large classrooms to accommodate our learners. They can still use our main campus facilities, but Minster House suits adult learning really well. The location is fantastic and we’ve been able to remodel the space to suit our needs.”
Minster House was once used as a warehouse for the former Hodgson’s Tannery, which was one of Beverley’s biggest employers for more than 150 years until its closure in 1978.
Used as offices in recent years, the building was vacant for more than a year after previous tenants were relocated to allow for the restoration and reconfiguration scheme that has given it a new lease of life.
As well as suites occupied by Miller Graphics, BHJ and East Riding College, a further 1,600 sq ft area on the ground floor is available for occupation. Interested parties can contact David Donkin on 01482 320968 or by email at dcd@wykeland.co.uk or letting agents Tim Powell of Scotts Property (tel 01482 325634; email tim@scotts-property.co.uk) or Ben Cooper of PPH Commercial (tel 01482 626912; email ben.cooper@pph-commercial.co.uk).
Pictures: R&R Studio
