EXCLUSIVE
BY NIGEL SCOTT
BUSINESS EDITOR
ONE of the most historic pubs in Leeds has been restored to its former glory.
The Cross Keys in Water Lane is part of the award-winning Round Foundry development in the city's Holbeck Village.
The 200-year-old public house – which had fallen into disrepair and was most recently used as a warehouse – has been restored by Leeds-based developer St James Securities in partnership with Manchester-based CTP.
The Round Foundry in Globe Road is steeped in history.
Matthew Murray, a pioneer of the industrial revolution, developed textile machinery on the site and, crucially, built some of the first steam engines in the early 19th century.
The Cross Keys, which opened in 1802, served the workers of the Round Foundry until it fell into disuse and disrepair after the Second World War.
It was a dilapidated warehouse, used for storing tyres for a motor dealership, when work began on developing the Round Foundry site.
Cellar
Roland Stross, a director of CTP St James, admitted: "We didn't even know it was a pub until we stumbled across the original beer cellar.
"It made sense to restore it so that it can serve the workers of the Round Foundry today, just as it did 200 years ago."
Ken Moth, of Manchester-based BDP architects, who restored The Cross Keys, added: "The history of the Cross Keys is amazing.
"When Matthew Murray was developing his pioneering steam engines, his great rival James Watt, from Birmingham, used to spy on him from the pub and get his workers drunk so he could learn Murray's secrets."
The refurbished pub features open log fires, beamed ceilings, flagged floors and an iron staircase, together with an open courtyard at the back.
The lease has been taken by John Gyngell, owner of the North Bar in Briggate and the Reliance in North Street, and his aim is to transform it into one of the finest real ale, gastro pubs in the city.
He said: "We always wanted our next venture to be a pub and this is perfect.
"It is wonderful to be part of the living, breathing and working community that is the revitalised Round Foundry."
The Round Foundry is the sole significant survivor of the first generation of specialist engineering foundries.
The rotunda from which the development gets its name no longer exists, but 13 Grade II listed buildings, dating from the late 18th century, survive.
These form an integral part of the new project, which has won the award for best regeneration project in the Yorkshire Property awards, together with a host of other accolades.
The £15m mixed-use development, which has been split into three phases, includes housing and office accommodation with shops, restaurants, a pub, a media centre and an art gallery.
A series of new pedestrian squares link the various aspects of the development which covers three-and-a-half acres.
Mr Stross added: "This development is steeped in history and we have been totally committed to preserving its character and architectural originality. The result is a wonderful mix of the old and new."
Stimulate
More than £5m has been invested by the Leeds-based regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward, and Leeds City Council to stimulate a pioneering internet quarter in the Holbeck area to capitalise on the city's strengths as a centre for e-commerce.
Yorkshire Forward has leased the Media Centre within the scheme to provide incubator units for high-technology businesses.
This allows companies access to a range of business advice and guidance from business people and professional services.
nigel.scott@ypn.co.uk