Modern Home Built Around a Historic Tower

July 23, 2016 4:00 am
(Strutt Parker/Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock)
(Strutt Parker/Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock)
(Strutt Parker/Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock)
(Strutt Parker/Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock)
Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock

 

For those who can’t decide if they want a period property or a modern home – this James Bond-style lair with a 19th century 90-foot tower provides the best of both. Lymm Water Tower is a home unique and award-winning, made up of a futuristic house wrapped around the base of a 130-year-old disused water tower. The five-bedroom residence, which has won numerous awards and been named among Kevin McCloud’s top 100 Grand Designs, is on the market for the first time since it was restored and can be yours for £2.5 million (roughly $3.28 million).

The disused 19th-century building sits in the small town of Lymm near Warrington in Cheshire, United Kingdom, where it overlooks the rolling Welsh hills and the peaks of Derbyshire. The tower features a spiral staircase. Once at the top, visitors enjoy 360-degree views. “The tower is the tallest building as far as the eye can see and the roof garden is the crowning glory,” says the current owner Russell Harris. “The views from the top are amazing.”

(Strutt Parker/Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock)
(Strutt Parker/Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock)
Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock

 

The ground floor of the futuristic 6,000 square-foot house includes open-plan living spaces with enough room for sofas, a dining table, and a baby grand piano. The lavish property also boasts a sound system, home cinema, and a gym and sauna on its fifth floor. It is surrounded by a third of an acre of gardens, complete with a Japanese koi carp pond. Still more outdoor space can be found on the roof terrace, where homeowners can enjoy a soak in the hot tub.

Russell and Jannette Harris bought the water tower in 1997 and started restoring the building five years later. “We had no real vision for what we would do with it at first,” Mr. Harris says. “At one point we thought of putting a cottage in the grounds and leaving the tower as a folly. It had been derelict since the ’70s and was a terrible mess. We basically had to rebuild from the ground up. It was a massive project, five floors, almost 100 feet, so everything had to be craned in.” In total, the home took seven years to finish.

(Strutt Parker/Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock)
(Strutt Parker/Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock)
Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock

 

While the pair hope it will appeal to premiership players as the house is only 20 minutes from the grounds of both Manchester United and Manchester City, the property can be purchased without the premiership pay packet. A hidden telecom antenna in the turret even provides about £50,000 (roughly $65,000) income a year from companies like O2 and Vodafone.

Mr. Harris, 58, says the five-figure sum covers their mortgage and all of their bills. “It takes up very little of the square footage, they don’t have access without our permission and for us, it’s been nothing but a positive,” Harris declares. “The income pays for all our costs – gas, electric, mortgage, council tax. The house basically pays for itself.” – Rex Features

(Strutt Parker/Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock)
(Strutt Parker/Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock)
(Strutt Parker/Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock)
(Strutt Parker/Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock)
Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock
(Strutt Parker/Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock)
(Strutt Parker/Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock)
Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock
(Strutt Parker/Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock)
(Strutt Parker/Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock)
Bournemouth Ne/REX/Shutterstock

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