Get a sneak peek inside the luxury retirement development on the former Metal Box factory

A show bungalow is now open at a new luxury retirement development near Mansfield. Located on the former Metal Box factory, this space is now being regenerated to create 82 luxury retirement homes.

Located in Rock Valley, the project is being developed by Walker Homes alongside Irwin Project Management. The luxury retirement village will be centered around the clock tower.

The developers were keen to preserve this lighthouse as a signature of the site’s heritage as a major employer in the area for more than a century. The site was originally a mustard mill, then later used by Barringer, Wallis and Manners before being taken over by The Metal Box Company.

This company has created all sorts of items, including the iconic Quality Street cans of yesteryear and brewery-branded trays. Production at the site ended in 2010, and although most of the factory was demolished the following year, the clock tower was saved.

Richard Irwin of Irwin Project Management said: “As local developers we are aware of the history and attachment that residents have to this site. It is a factory that originally dates back to 1839, so over the years it has been a major employer for generations of Nottinghamshire people.

“We wanted to celebrate that local heritage, knowing the affection shown for the site. Who knows, someone who once worked here might end up living in the clock tower.”

A home bungalow has now been unveiled at The Valley and there is a sales and marketing suite open to visitors every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It features the range of bungalows, maisonettes and apartments built on site, as well as shared room plans.

Prices for one and two-bedroom apartments start from £169,000, with bungalows from £305,000. Louise Hutchinson, new homes marketing manager at estate agency William H Brown, said: “The redevelopment of this site into a luxury retirement village signals excellent news for the local area and house hunters alike.

“Of the 82 homes created, 36 will be apartments in and around the clock tower, 12 apartments located on the other side of the development, plus 11 maisonettes and 23 bungalows.” The bungalows are due to be completed by the end of December 2024, while work on the boxes and tower apartments will begin later this year.

Louise added: “In a nod to the site’s heritage, the apartments have been named Mustard Mill Apartments and Clock Tower Apartments.”