A Victorian-era water tower overlooking England‘s Suffolk coast has been reimagined as one of the most unusual residential listings to hit the market this year—a 72-foot-tall, seven-story home with 360-degree views and a serious architectural backstory.
Located on a desirable road in the charming seaside town of Aldeburgh, the Grade II-listed brick structure was originally built in 1870. By the time former pharmacist Emad Borno bought the yellow brick white elephant at auction in 2007, the tower was just a shell, with no services, no easy access, and no planning permissions. What followed was a decade-long conversion that turned the industrial relic into a one-of-a-kind six-bedroom, five-bathroom residence with just over 4,000 square feet of living space.
The transformation, completed in 2017 by Essex-based firm Abacus Build, carefully balances historic and contemporary elements. The original iron pillars and exposed bits of red brick remain intact, but they’re now paired with modern comforts like underfloor heating, bookmatched marble bathrooms, and custom-built cabinetry.
The top-floor studio space includes a kitchenette and open views over the landscape.
The Creative Aspect Ltd; Savills
The eat-in kitchen is a standout space, with handmade granite worktops on teal Shaker-style cabinets, a full suite of integrated appliances, and a 10-person dining table fashioned from a section of the original water tank, which was crafted by the same engineering firm behind artist Maggi Hambling’s “Scallop” sculpture nearby.
Despite its vertical layout, the design is surprisingly livable: two en suite bedrooms sit on the ground floor, while both an oak staircase and an elevator connect the upper levels. There’s a formal drawing room on the second floor, a top-floor studio with a kitchenette, and finally, on the uppermost level, a glazed pavilion with sliding glass doors that spill onto the rooftop terrace that overlooks the sea, the River Alde, and the rooftops of Aldeburgh.
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The spacious eat-in kitchen showcases a custom dining table crafted from the tower’s original water tank.
The Creative Aspect Ltd; Savills
“The history runs through the redbrick walls and iron pillars,” said Borno’s daughter, Zahra Akkerhuys. “Sitting at the top of the tower watching the sunset—far above the treetops—is really magical.”
Now on the market with Savills for £2.75 million (about $3.7 million), the Water Tower joins an intriguing list of industrial structures that have been reimagined as high-design homes. To wit: eight defunct grain silos in North Yorkshire that were transformed into a sleek, $5.7 million solar-powered country retreat. Whether municipal or agricultural, these types of adaptive reuse projects are proving that with enough vision—and the patience to go through the planning approvals—no building is too utilitarian to become a striking residence.
Click here to see more photos of English home.
The Creative Aspect Ltd; Savills
Authors
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Abby Montanez
Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…