Member Article

Home owners will dine in style at restored Leeds Victorian villa

The developer behind the fantastic restoration of one of the North’s most impressive Victorian Villas is celebrating the success of the project, which has seen Spenfield House, a Grade II Victorian Villa in Weetwood, Leeds transformed into seven luxurious apartments. A further seven new-build townhouses are due to be completed within the next few weeks within the grounds. Spenfield House was originally built between 1875 and 1877 by architect George Corson, who also designed the Grande Theatre in Leeds. Spenfield House is renowned for its lavish, decorative interior and the Peacock Room, which has silk panels designed by William Morris, have been restored to their former glory, thanks to the determination of developer Henry Kordowicz. Mr Kordowicz bought the magnificent property six years ago and set about securing planning permission, which took four years, to convert the building into a selection of luxurious homes. His main aim was to uncover and restore all the building’s glorious original features which include friezes, marble columns, coffered ceilings, stain glass lanterns, windows and roof lights alongside elaborate woodwork and marble decoration. The Peacock Room has now been fully restored to its former splendour and is of such historical importance, that it will be opened up to the public four times a year. The rest of the time any of the seven new apartment owners will be able to use it for entertaining following the generous gift of a stunning 14 seater dining room table by the developer. Director, Nicola Thompson, from Adair Paxton, the estate agent marketing Spenfield House, said: “It’s such a remarkable property and Henry and his team of highly experienced builders from Evora Construction, have expertly restored this grand building creating seven unique and luxurious apartments that benefit from hugely impressive communal areas – including the stunning Peacock Room. “All seven apartment owners also own a share of the room, which they can use for parties and special occasions, something that has really appealed to buyers because they will have a grand entertaining space, with a genuine wow factor.”

It is the first residential conversion Henry Kordowicz has undertaken after 30 years in commercial property development. He said: “There have been many challenges along the way, but I’m incredibly proud of what has been achieved. The house had been used for civic and corporate purposes over the years, so a lot of its mesmerising features had been covered or damaged. It’s such an important building and everyone who comes to see it is just blown away by it - living here will be a very special experience indeed.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Mortimer .