Friars House stood derelict. The building on Friars Road had been left in poor condition, with pipework hanging from the ceilings and standards well below anything anyone should live with. It was in the middle of Stafford, a few minutes' walk from the railway station, and it was going to waste.

What we did

BELL Apartments took the building on in 2017 and restored it.

We did not build on open land. We took a building that already existed, on a site already served by roads, drainage and utilities, in a town centre that needed it, and brought it back into use. Walls, roof and ceilings were insulated as part of the conversion. It reopened in 2018 as self-catering apartments.

What it means now

Nine apartments in the centre of Stafford, a short walk from a mainline station with direct services from London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. Guests can arrive, stay a week and leave without driving.

Four local people are employed to run it. Our linen goes to Posh Wash, an independent Stafford laundrette a mile and a half away, rather than a national contract. Guests shop in Stafford's supermarkets, market and independent food shops and cook in a proper kitchen, so the money they spend stays in the town.

A building that was empty and deteriorating is now nine homes-from-home in the middle of Stafford.

Where we are now

Close to 1,000 verified guest reviews sit behind Friars House. It averages 4.86 across 700 Airbnb reviews, with every apartment rated between 4.80 and 4.95, alongside 8.8 from 242 reviews on Booking.com. One apartment holds Airbnb Guest Favourite status, awarded to the top 10% of listings worldwide.

The building carries a maintained eight-zone addressable fire alarm system, automatic smoke ventilation, emergency lighting and fire doors throughout. Apartments 1, 2 and 3 are step free from the parking space to the door.