1964
Commissioned by The Lee Valley Water Company, designed by Edmund Percey of Scherrer and Hicks and constructed in 1964, Tonwell Water Tower was built to provide the village and the neighbouring Sacombe estate with clean water at constant pressure. Percey was a water tower specialist, creating a number of beautiful structures around the country as well as Manchester University’s Maths department.
Water towers function much like enormous lavatory cisterns. They fill up gently and then provide water at constant pressure at times of high demand. Tonwell maintained 50,000 gallons of water at a head of 65 foot for both the village and the neighbouring Sacombe estate. The tower is 75’ (23m) tall and between 15’ (4.5m) and 38’ (11.5m) in diameter.
Its construction was shuttered and poured in situ with smooth (rather than serrated) steel reinforcement bars up to 3/4” (18mm) thick. Structurally, it was constructed as a 8’ diameter shaft rising to the roof with a toroidal tank at its summit. The fins and ring beams provide triangular support and take some of the weight to the ground. Try as we might, we cannot find construction drawings.
Access was by fixed ladder and platform to the roof and then a ladder back down into the tank.
2020
Utility company water towers have largely been replaced in the UK by high pressure mains and thus, these varied and beautiful structures are falling into disuse. In 2018, the tower was sold at auction to property developers King & Co. and planning for conversion was submitted and approved in 2019.
In 2020, it was bought by us.
We are Matt and Ali, Daisy and Poppy Grey. Ali and I are both industrial designers, and after a diverse career in design and engineering, I now specialise in the conversion of industrial buildings. Daisy and Poppy are professional children at the very top of their game.
The tower is protected by a Grade II listing with English Heritage. This wonderful quirk of English Planning law has prevented the tower from becoming blighted by telecommunications equipment and has seen the plans for the tower preserve its exterior aspect.
In 2021, we submitted fresh plans for the building with further preserved the original form and we began work in the summer of 2021. For pictures of our progress, see Progress.
2024
The tower will be complete in 2024. A four bedroom, four bathroom home; with a 600sqft (60sqm) combined living, kitchen, dining space on the top floor; and an 800sqft (80 sqm) roof terrace. All with breathtaking views over the countryside, and stretching as far as The City of London.
It will be our home but it will also be available for stays on AirBnB, as a location and as a venue.