A design company that specialises in property has cemented its love affair with the Jewellery Quarter by investing in a key piece of real estate.

Barques Design, headed by Jilly Cosgrove, first moved into the Jewellery Quarter in 2005 but now, five years later, is so passionate about the area that she decided to invest in a building, recently acquiring Ludgate Place, on Ludgate Hill.

Previously a Cooper’s workshop, Ludgate Place is a tall, 5,000 sq ft traditional red brick late Victorian building, located just opposite Barques’ current offices. Barques will be occupying the top two floors and letting the remaining two, which offer from 750 to 1,500 sq ft.

She said: “We’ve always really enjoyed working in the area, in fact we’re living proof of everything we’ve put on the building’s marketing material. We can walk to meetings in the city centre in a matter of minutes, we’ve got the local cafe?s and bars, with new venues opening all the time.

“There is the peaceful leafy space around St Paul’s Church and just up the road is the heart of the Jewellery Quarter itself. Some of the team commute on the train to Snow Hill, which is only five minutes away but parking’s pretty good round here too.

“With all that in mind, when the opportunity arose to buy a building here and invest in the area more permanently it was a no-brainer – we bought it.”

Ludgate Place is a four-storey building, two storeys of which could be let to one business or divided into smaller space if needed. It would ideally suit other designers, architects, IT firms and solicitors looking for office space in the region of £12.50 per sq ft.

GBR and Maguire Jackson are joint agents, Maguire Jackson having originally been appointed to let the building before Jilly Cosgrove persuaded the owners to sell it to her.

Richard Fletcher-Brewer at GBR said: “The great thing about this building is its superb location, both for the local ambience of St Pauls Square and for the Colmore Row district and city centre nearby.

“As Landlord, Jilly Cosgrove is firmly committed to the area, being on the Jewellery Quarter Association and so has its best interests at heart.

“We are getting lots of interest in the building already, it has been newly refurbished and won’t be available for long.”

Potential occupiers are able to move into Ludgate Place immediately.