Old mill transformed into mixed-use leisure venue in Leeds city centre

An old mill in Leeds city centre is being transformed into a brand new mixed-use event, arts and food destination.

After undergoing an extensive refurbishment, Headrow House will open next week and feature new brands Ox Club (restaurant) and Redondo Beach (cocktail bar).

Built in the early 1900s, Headrow House will occupy a former textile mill located in one of Leeds’ historic yards in the heart of the city centre.

After a decade of neglect, the site originally known as Lower Headrow House is being transformed into a multi-use, arts and event space, which will cover over 11,000 sq ft and feature a cocktail bar, beer hall, 2 roof terraces, a restaurant and a 150 capacity event space.

Over the years, the site has been used as Leeds’ original penny arcade, shops and more recently one of Leeds’ most notorious nightspots, Big Lil’s Saloon Bar.

The project sees the operators of Belgrave Music Hall, Ash Kollakowski and Simon Stevens take on their second property and join forces with street food operator Ben Davy to produce what they hope will be a unique venue.

Ash Kollakowski said: “Simon and I met Ben during his residency at Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen where he’d developed the Dough Boys, Patty Smiths and Fu-Schnickens street food concepts, the later of which won the British Street Food Award in 2014.

“We got on really well and really admired his creativity so when he trialled Ox Club as part of the Food Lab series at Belgrave in back in April, we knew we wanted him involved in Headrow House. The menu Ben’s developed is really exciting and we’re importing an amazing Grill Works grill from Michigan in the United States which has to be seen to be believed, we want the kitchen to be a really integral part of the dining experience.”

Simon Stevens added: “What started as an attempt to find a temporary home for Beacons Festival in 2015 quickly turned into a challenging, year-long restoration project. The site is huge and so full of history, the scale was initially a bit daunting but we’ve been able to call on the talents of some of great Leeds companies such as Duke Studios, North Brewing Co., Duo and Laand to help with various aspects of the project. I think a lot of people will be surprised that a building of this size was left neglected for so long, it’s a real hidden gem and we can’t wait to get the doors open.”

Ben Davy also commented: “It’s been a great opportunity to develop some of the ideas that have come out of Belgrave Music Hall. Working on Belgrave Feast and working with Leeds Indie Food on Leeds Feast were both great experiences but opening permanent a bricks and mortar site is every chef’s dream.

“It’s been great working with the rest of the team researching menus, wines and cocktails and seeing the same attention to detail applied to every aspect of the project. The plans for the beer hall are really unique with unpasteurised beer stored in enormous copper tanks, the first time the system has been used in the UK outside of London, and the guys have put together an incredible range of cask and keg beers.”

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