The curse of Grand Designs? Owners of nine-storey water tower that ... | Grand Designs Water Tank HouseGrand Designs Water Tank House
We'd all adulation own our dream home eventually. But for the accomplished seven years, retired architect Mark Williamson has been active – absolutely actually – in the abode of his dreams.
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How far would you go for sustainability? Water Tank House ... | Grand Designs Water Tank House'From the age of about 20 I acclimated to accept a alternating dream about a baptize tower,' the 55-year-old says. 'I would body it in my sleep. Then, active aback from assignment one day, I chock-full off at a pub and a buck pulled out a bounded bi-weekly and said, 'Oh, there's a baptize belfry for sale.' So again I had the eyes of affairs one.
'I came home to my accomplice Paula and said, 'I've begin article unique. Let's go and accept a look.' So we collection out actuality and back I saw it I thought, 'Yes, this is it!' '
Mark Williamson and his accomplice Paula spent added than £500,000 affairs and converting this baptize belfry abreast Bury St Edmonds in Suffolk in 2010 and are now attractive to abbreviate to a new acreage arctic of Ipswich
Mr Williamson, left, and his accomplice Paula, right, bought a buzz band and lived on the armpit for ten months while the transformation from a bones to a affluence home was completed
The arresting baptize belfry was congenital in the 1890s to accumulation a adjacent boarding academy afore it was alone in 1976
Built in the 1890s to accommodate baptize for the adjacent absolute boarding academy Culford, Mark's beautifully appointed ancestors home abreast Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk was originally topped by an automated cast-iron, 175-ton baptize tank.
This was founded by H. Young of Pimlico – the aforementioned aggregation that fabricated the sphinxes at Cleopatra's Needle in London. The belfry existed to draw up baptize from wells beneath the fields alfresco the apple of Culford and augment it to the academy by force of gravity.
It all formed able-bodied until 1976, back a new arrangement was installed to pump baptize from the mains supply, abrogation the belfry redundant. It was larboard to adulteration on the Culford skyline until planning permission was assuredly accepted for a avant-garde about-face and it was put up for auction in 2010.
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Is the Grand Designs water tower cursed? At £2.4m profit, it's ... | Grand Designs Water Tank House'I spent a lot of time up here,' says Mark. 'I had engineers, architects and altered sub-contractors annular aloof to accomplish abiding aggregate was activity to work… but it was mad really. We bought it for £271,000 and that was about the bulk of the abode we were again active in.'
Fortunately, Mark, who endemic his own architecture company, was able-bodied able to handle the body himself. He and Paula bought a buzz band and lived on armpit for the accomplished ten months it took to transform a crumbling old brick belfry into a comfortable four-floor, five-bedroom home.
Nowadays, Mark explains, 'you would never get planning permission to body annihilation as aerial in accessible countryside'.
As a result, this home boasts amazing views, decidedly from the admiral sitting allowance and what Mark calls his 'gin and analeptic terrace' on the aboriginal floor. 'You're in the average of a attention area,' Mark adds. 'All you can see is backwoods and glimpses of villages in the far distance.'
The acreage has been accomplished to an awfully aerial accepted afterward its abolitionist redesign in 2010
The alfresco of the acreage is able-bodied landscaped alms amazing angle over the surrounding countryside
Inside the abnormal appearance of the acreage allows ablaze to cascade in accouterment a activity of spaciousness
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Victorian water tower conversion has Grand Designs | Grand Designs Water Tank HouseThe four-storey abode has bristles ample bedrooms and was accomplished beneath account and aural the planned time frame
For labour, the brace – who both accept antecedent ally – relied on their developed brood: Julian, 43, Carly, 33, Ben, 29, Liam, 27, and Ashley, 24, none of whom, as luck would accept it, has a abhorrence of heights.
They went on to absorb £260,000 converting and extending the property. They were bent to bottle as abounding of its aboriginal appearance as accessible – including the baptize tank, which was acclimated for the adept bedroom.
For Mark, who spent his absolute career in the architecture trade, alive on his baptize belfry was 'far added agreeable – alive the end aftereffect was for us. We accomplished beneath account and advanced of time. It's all about accurate planning – and accepting three prices for everything. It would accept fabricated a appealing arid adventure of Grand Designs – there was no tragedy at all.'
Mark and Paula are acquisitive to abbreviate and move to arctic Norfolk with their dog, Teal. The Baptize Belfry is on the bazaar with Bedfords acreage agents for offers aloft £1 actor and the brace achievement addition ancestors will anon get to adore their admired home. 'I anticipate it would be a acceptable affair to move abroad rather than actuality abutting by and active accomplished it every day,' explains Paula.
As Mark concludes: 'It'll be a hell of a wrench. It's been our baby. Ever back the canicule of my alternating dreams.'
According to Mark, alive on the acreage was far added agreeable than accustomed as he knew his ancestors would benefit
The baptize tower, pictured, was originally topped by an automated cast-iron, 175-ton baptize catchbasin which supplied the school
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Grand Designs Australia: Back in black - Completehome | Grand Designs Water Tank HouseFrom the balcony, it is accessible to attending out over the countryside for afar about in all directions
The acreage is on auction by Bedfords who are agreeable offers for the above baptize belfry starting at £1,000,000
The bedrooms accept able en-suite units in the bend authoritative the best of the amazing bulk of amplitude in the property
According to Mark: 'It would accept fabricated a appealing arid adventure of Grand Designs – there was no tragedy at all'
Mark believes affective will be hard: 'It'll be a hell of a wrench. It's been our baby. Ever back the canicule of my alternating dreams'
Paula added: 'I anticipate it would be a acceptable affair to move abroad rather than actuality abutting by and active accomplished it every day'
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