Converted Halstead water towers on the market for £1.6m

The former water towers on Colne Road, Halstead, are on the market with a price tag of £1.6 million.

The larger of the two properties, which is over six floors, features four bedrooms, four living areas and an impressive 10m atrium has a glass roof.

There are twin staircases leading from the ground to the top floor. One is a contemporary, open tread staircase while the other is a spiral staircase which is hidden from view.

One of the bedrooms still contains some of the original pipework from when it was used to pump water from the well.

There is also a gallery balcony overlooking the reception hall.

The owners have left their own stamp on the house including two signs from the West End. One of the living areas has a sign from The Wizard of Oz, which used to reside at the London Palladium while another is home to a Les Miserables sign which was formerly displayed in Leicester Square.

The Victorian building is situated next to a smaller tower dating back to the mid-1800s was converted into an annex which the owners currenlty rent out.

The larger tower was the built later on in 1888 during the Industrial Revolution, when the Courtauld family, one of the leading names in British textiles, built a yarn factory in the town as they needed a larger supply of water for the factory to operate.

Planning permission to convert the water tower was granted on appeal in 1996. However, the project did not proceed and when new planning permission was sought again in 2001 it was refused.

Planning permission was eventually granted and the former water towers have now been converted into a home and annex.

For more information, go to www.primelocation.com and search for Colne Road, Halstead.