Shopfronts restored in town heritage scheme

4 December 2025

Victoria ScheerYorkshire

News image — Dan Merrick and architect Russell Trudgen in front of the newly restored buildings in Morley

Leeds City Council Dan Merrick and Russell Trudgen stand on a stone-paved sidewalk in front of a building with a white-painted storefront. The building features large glass windows framed in white wood, and a white door with a rectangular glass panel. Below the door, there is a tiled entrance step with a decorative black-and-white mosaic pattern that includes the number “33”. The exterior walls of the building are made of dark stone, and adjacent to the white storefront is another shopfront painted in dark green. — Dan Merrick and architect Russell Trudgen in front of the newly restored buildings in Morley

Two buildings in a West Yorkshire market town, which date back to the 1870s, have become the first to be restored as part of a wider heritage project.

The shopfronts of 31-33 Queen Street, Morley, have been restored to make them "more sympathetic" to the surrounding conservation area, Leeds City Council said.

The project is funded through the Morley Town Deal's Heritage Investment Fund, which the authority said would see a multimillion-pound investment into heritage buildings using grants to building owners.

Jonathan Pryor, the council's deputy leader, said the investment would protect and preserve the town's heritage while also updating its infrastructure and making use of underused spaces.

The council said more investment in heritage shopfronts was also planned, with work on grant agreements under way so further commercial spaces and buildings in the town could be restored "to their former glory".

Leeds City Council A row of older stone buildings along a street, with the central building being the main focus. This building has three stories and is constructed from dark, weathered stone blocks. It features four windows on the upper floors, each with white frames and curtains visible inside. The ground floor has two sections: one on the left with a metal security shutter pulled down, and another on the right with a large wooden board covering the window and door.
To the right of the building, there is a neighbouring property with a colourful mural painted on its shopfront. A white car is parked on the street in front of the buildings. — The shopfronts before the restoration work

Pryor, executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development, said: "Morley has a great deal of unique and beautiful architecture that is not currently utilised to its full potential.

"The Heritage Investment Fund is just one example of how the Morley Town Deal will leave a long-lasting legacy on the town that will benefit people for generations to come."

The Morley Town Deal's Heritage Investment Fund is part of a broader £24.3m grant from the government's Towns Fund programme.

Dan Merrick, chair of the Morley Town Deal heritage working group, said: "Protecting, reinvigorating and bringing Morley's heritage buildings back into full use has been a key pillar of the Morley Town Deal from its conception.

"It is gratifying to see the completion of the first two buildings to benefit from the Heritage Investment Fund programme, with more buildings in the pipeline set to benefit from the scheme."

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