Lady Ida Lodge is an extra care development for people aged 55 and over. Located in Cookridge, Leeds, the scheme offers 64 one and two-bedroom self-contained apartments for affordable rent and shared ownership.
Delivered by Esh Construction on behalf of Housing 21, the development comprised the restoration of the Grade II listed former Cookridge Hospital Ida Wing, the construction of a four-storey extension and a single-storey link building.
Lady Ida Lodge has been designed to offer independent living, with access to on-site care and a range of facilities including a communal lounge, café/bistro, hair salon, a guest bedroom, office facilities for housing staff and communal gardens including a woodland area and central courtyard.
The history of the Ida Wing dates back to 1869 when the ‘Hospital for the Convalescent Poor of Leeds’ opened. A Grade II listed building, the Ida Wing has special architectural and historic interest at a local and national level. It is an imposing architectural expression of increased focus on healthcare provision in the late Victorian period. Restoring the building presented many challenges given it had stood derelict for over 10 years and subjected to vandalism and fire damage.
The site location had its own constraints. The topography presented challenges – the building stood on a hillside with sloped terraces surrounded by mature woodland – and on the approach to site, there was a housing estate and two further construction projects to navigate.
To prevent the new building impinging visually on the main frontage of the Ida Wing, it was vital that the height of the new extension was subsidiary to the listed building. This works well architecturally and allows the building’s heritage and identity to be expressed clearly.
Original materials were salvaged and reused wherever possible to restore the building’s character, including the roof slate, a bressumer beam and some of the original bricks. The design incorporates a sandstone plinth and red brick feature, cast iron gutters and downpipes, restoration of the Tudor-style cladding and verandas, and installation of sash windows.
The Ida Wing has been beautifully restored and extended, bringing this Grade II listed building into modern 21st century times and back into viable use, while also guaranteeing its future and allowing the conservation of the historic fabric.
