Victoria Mills

Victoria Mills in Shipley has been imaginatively converted into a huge apartment complex, with some 'industrial loft-style' apartments in the old mill buildings and some new-build blocks. Altogether there are about 300 apartments, some of which are owner-occupied, some rented and some serviced apartments for business travellers. It is set among landscaped gardens with a gym, shop and bar-restaurant within the complex. It's like a small village in itself.

When the apartments first came on sale, my friend and I went to tour the show apartments (does anyone else like, doing that?). I'd no intention of buying, but I was curious to see what they were like inside. The fittings - kitchen, bathroom etc - are very stylish, but there wasn't much storage space in the bedrooms. I concluded they were really meant for young folks who haven't had time to accumulate much junk... not oldies like me with years-worth of precious clutter (not to mention the 'treasures' added by aged relatives who've downsized and offspring who've not yet upsized!)