House-hunters have been sweeping in to buy luxury apartments costing up to £465,000.

The conversion of Wells House in Ilkley officially opened to the public today - but almost half of the homes have been snapped up already.

The spectacular Grade II listed building - the former main Ilkley College base - has been converted into 27 apartments, and 13 have been reserved on the basis of the site plans alone.

Pearse Lynch, sales manager for Bradford-based developers Magellan, said: "I am not surprised but very pleased with how they have gone. I have no doubt that the rest will be sold very soon."

And Mr Lynch said most buyers were from the Yorkshire area.

The site opened to the public today and 400 people who have expressed an interest in the apartments - with price tags ranging from £175,000 to £465,000 - have been invited for a viewing.

And Bill Dale, of Dale Eddison Estate Agents, on The Grove in Ilkley, said: "With work on Wells House running on programme the development is taking shape rapidly."

Wells House was built in 1856 and designed by the famous Yorkshire architect Cuthbert Broderick who also designed Leeds Town Hall and Scarborough's Grand Hotel.

The 27 one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments in the Magellan development will surround a central glazed atrium with two lifts servicing all floors from a secure underground car park. The garden flats and some of the ground floor apartments have private patios with access to the communal formal grounds.

To the west of Wells House are 18 four and five bedroom purpose-built mews houses set around a horseshoe-shaped courtyard known as the Quadrangle.

Designed in a complementary classical style using Yorkshire sandstone, each house will have an internal garage and private gardens.

The show home will be available to view later this month with prices ranging from £280,000 to £365,000.

The whole development is expected to be complete by the end of this year.