The Plex, its history and occupants

Before The Plex was home to freelancers, charities, and small teams building something of their own, The Plex had a life of its own.

Originally known as The Cliff — a grand villa on Margaret Street, built in circa 1824 an era when Wakefield's professional and merchant classes were competing to build the finest townhouses in the city. The property was constructed as part of the St John’s residential area.

Over the next two centuries, The Cliff was home to lawyers, railway directors, coroners, and even a Mayor of Wakefield — before becoming a clinic, and eventually the flexible workspace it is today.

Over the next few weeks, we're telling the stories of the people who lived here. First up: a lawyer who arrived in 1827.

The Plex located in St Johns Wakefield UK has housed more Wakefield history than you'd expect from a modern workspace.

Thistleton Haxby, one of the earliest notable occupants, rented and lived at The Cliffe from 1827 until his death in 1844. A prominent local lawyer, he ran the practice Haxby & Scholey from a King Street office just a short walk from home. In an era when solicitors held real social capital, his ability to rent a newly built villa like The Cliffe says a lot about his standing among Wakefield's professional elite.

Decades later, Alfred William Stanfield — Mayor of Wakefield in 1897, barrister, and Justice of the Peace — also called The Cliffe home, before the building went on to become a clinic, and eventually the flexible workspace it is today.

If you're a freelancer, small business, charity or CIC looking for flexible workspace near Wakefield Westgate train station, come see where Wakefield's history and its future meet — whether that's virtual offices, meeting room hire, or dedicated offices, there's a fit here for you.
#Wakefield#LocalHistory#FlexibleWorkspace#SmallBusiness#virtualoffice#meetingroomhire