Castle Acre Open Day 22nd March 2015

Photographer Dennis Pedersen has always had a thing for water towers. He says he was inspired by the futuristic cartoon The Jetsons and Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds. Never did he think that he might one day be the proud owner of one.

Last year he bought a decommissioned Braithwaite type tower just outside Castle Acre in Norfolk.

To his dismay though he found that the presumed fate for the Meccano-like structure by the vendors and local planners was its demolition for its scrap value. However Dennis recognised the tower as an important part of the area's rural heritage and he had a vision that this unused resource could "create an outstanding example of sustainable recycling."

Inspired by the work of the Landmark Trust and the Living Architecture Project, he commissioned cutting edge architects Tonkin Liu to envisage a way to preserve the structure with minimal changes yet allow it to be reused for accommodation. Now he's holding an open day at the tower to show local people and water tower enthusiasts his plans.

BWTAS members have been especially invited to come along and some will be available to explain the engineering history and cultural significance of water towers. Dennis and his architect will be showing a model of a potential conversion and serving tea and biscuits and giving free tours of the tower from 10 AM to dusk. If you'd like to come and have a nosey around or see the plans or show your support, all would be very welcome.

Please note that access to the tank is restricted by ladders and Dennis can only take small groups up there. The risk assessment for any water tower is that heights and places only normally accessible to trained personnel can be dangerous and so your visit will be entirely at your own risk. You will have to be suitably fit if you want to climb up to visit the tank. The site is overgrown and derelict and appropriate footwear and clothing are advisable. No children or persons under 18 may go up the tower. 

Please check this page for updates before you set off as this event is dependent on weather and jobsworth. The tower is .2 miles from the village where there are numerous attractions and facilities. Please park considerately.

This is a rare opportunity and BWTAS is profoundly grateful to Mr. Pedersen for his offer of hospitality.

Sunday 22nd March, 10 AM to dusk
Massingham Rd
Castle Acre

www.dennispedersen.com

Radar-cal revision of Allhallows Water Tower

images from Geograph

A former Braithwaite water tower near Allhallows, Medway, England once owned by Southern Water was converted in September 2008 into a radar station by the Port of London Authority to monitor ship movements on the Thames. The Yantlet Line which marks the downstream limit of the PLA area lies 4 km to the east.


This re-version is a variation of the Tilbury radar tower disguised during WWII as a water tower.

Information Britain says:

Allhallows is a village and civil parish on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent, under the unitary authority of Medway Council. The Hoo Peninsula is a jutt of land above Rochester, sandwiched between the Medway and the Thames and divided from the Isle of Grain by the Yantlett Creek. Allhallows village is in two parts: the ancient Hoo All Hallows and the 20th century holiday colony Allhallows-on-Sea. Hoo All Hallows is clustered round the parish church of All Saints. All Saints church dates from the 12th century and is the only Grade I listed building on the Hoo peninsula. The modern holiday village of Allhallows-on-Sea lies to the north of the village and was developed by Southern Railways in the 1930s. Their original planned development never took place because of World War II, but there is a now a Haven holiday park and some residential properties on the estuary shore. The station was demolished in 1961 and sold for use as a holiday caravan park. There is a listed railway water tower situated among the caravans. The area is popular with bird watchers. Other leisure activities include a 9 hole golf course and The Cross Park Country Park. There are a couple of pubs, The Rose and Crown Inn and The British Pilot.

The ultimate project?: Cold War water tower up for sale

When Southern Water unloaded a portfolio of properties in 2004, architect Stephen Luxford purchased the Braithwaite water tower at the former Greenham Common airbase and then got planning permission to convert it into a house. That was a bit of a shock to the local council as they expected buyers would cut it up for scrap and put a traditional house on the plot.

We haven't heard anything for a while but Stephen has just been in touch to tell BWTAS:

"I’ve had the planning extended to 2013 and due to my business being London based, I have given up on carrying the scheme forward myself and the tower is going to auction on 27th July 2011 with www.romans.co.uk – guide price £50,000. "

Stephen told BWTAS before that a build cost estimate is tricky because of unusual nature of the build but at £1200 to £1500/m.sq (quite a high rate) it would be in the region of £160k to £200k.

The auction listing is at http://www.romans.co.uk/Property/40980

Simon's Town mystery tanks

David Erickson lives in Simon’s Town, the former British Naval Port on the Cape Peninsula in South Africa.

He has written to BWTAS looking for information about some local water tanks (we'll overlook that these aren't actually water towers as they are quite relevant, Ed.):

"There is a huge amount of fascinating infrastructure here, much of it dating back to Victorian times and earlier. As a Committee Member of the Simon’s Town Historical Society I have a number of research projects on the go. One of these concerns two octagonal water tanks, which may be early versions of the Braithwaite design. However, these are not pressed steel; they are cast iron panels with no internal stiffening. The panels are held together by square headed bolts and nuts, with what appears to be hand cut threads, so I suspect that these tanks are quite old. The tanks lie on former Royal Naval properties where there is a history of Royal Engineers’ construction works. For this reason it is believed that they are undoubtedly British in origin, probably made to a standard design and shipped out in sections for assembly on site. There are only four of these tanks in existence in South Africa.

One of the tanks was, I believe, built to supply water to an officer’s barracks that was constructed in about 1815 (the tank could of course have been a much later addition).

The cast iron tank dimensions are 3.87 metres overall external width x 2.12 metres overall height. The operating water capacity has been calculated to be 24 tonnes (approximately 5,400 U.K. gallons).

The tank side construction consists of a total of 16 identical rectangular cast iron panels, each 158 centimetres long x 103.5 centimetres high. These panels have integral flanges on all four sides, the vertical flanges being angled such that an octagon is formed when the panels are bolted together. The side panels are arranged two high and sit on a cast iron base which is in turn supported on eight brickwork piers. The cast iron base is comprised of eight flanged cast iron panels which taper from 158 centimetres at the outer edge to 53 centimetres, and one octagonal flanged panel measuring 129 centimetres across extremities; this is located at the centre of the tank base. All flanges are 15 millimetres thick x 91.2 millimetres web. The tank has an open top which has a light corrugated iron roof mounted above on a timber frame. The panels are bolted together with ⅝” bolts 70 mm long, with square bolt heads 1¼” across flats.

Despite very careful inspection, we have been unable to find any trace of the manufacturer – all of the panels are completely plain with no foundry marks or other identification."

David is appealing to BWTAS if anyone has come come across anything like this? He would be most interested in any historical data. If you can help him in any way, please contact

David Erickson
6 Flagship Way
Simon's Town

7975
Republic of South Africa
Tel./Fax: +27-21-786-3384
Email: erickson_at_ilive.co.za

Wells-Next-the-Sea, Norfolk (1935)

Following my last posting of the 1953 water tower built by Wells Rural District Council, I thought I'd feature the 1935 water tower built by Wells Urban District Council. Piped water came to Wells in 1936 on completion of the well being sunk on the high ground to the south of the town and the water tower and water mains being laid. Prior to this it was dependent on 350 wells, many of which were susceptible to pollution. All that remains now, is the brick supporting structure and pumping house. It had a 30,000-gallon, Braithwaite tank with a single internal compartment. Located on a hill at O.S. Grid Ref TF 92240 42645, it had a top water level of 125 feet.

The summer influx of visitors more than doubles the winter population and this supply was sometimes inadequate, so in 1962 it was coupled to the supply lines of the Walsingham Rural District Council.