We love hearing about old structures being converted into comfortable living spaces, but a water tower?! Dubbed the “House in the Clouds”, this architectural marvel was constructed 85 years ago as a water tower to serve the township of Thorpeness in Suffolk, England, but today it serves as a bed and breakfast for anyone searching for a getaway overlooking England’s low lying hills. Read on for the tower’s history, which is just as curious as the tower itself.
When the tower was first being built, Thorpeness residents were worried about introducing an eyesore upon their unspoiled landscape. So their design solution? Disguise it as a sky-high cottage! Problem solved… well, for a while.
Eventually the water tower outlived its usefulness and was left to its own devices, abandoned to a fate like so many outdated buildings. But just its luck, it had already become such an architectural fixture in the area that someone bought it up and outfitted it with windows, stairs and all the modern conveniences. Now it sits happily 70 feet tall as a five bedroom, three bathroom bed and breakfast. Talk about adaptive re-use!
If you’d like to see its amazing panoramic views first hand, the daily rate is a mere $900, with weekly rentals running $3,800!
4 Responses to “House in the Clouds is an Old Water Tower Converted into a Bed & Breakfast!”
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iwant to see inside!
Similar to the Hotel L’Auberge watertower in Punta del Este, Uruguay. See: http://www.laubergehotel.com/ingles/index.php and click on the “hotel” and “tower” tabs, also look for images.
I’ve stayed here and it really is an amazing place. The man who built it was a pretty strange guy too. He had a thing about Peter Pan and wanted to recreate some of the magic of the story.
http://greenexplorer.ovi.com/getinspired/europe/united-kingdom/suffolk/sleep-with-your-head-in-the-clouds/
if you read the tower’s website you’ll see that it was ALWAYS a house and a water tower, the windows and living accomodation were built in from the beginning and so it is not a conversion. The only modification is the later removal of the tank to make a double-height games room. Aslo it’s for holiday letting, not bed & breakfast.
If you like water towers check out BWTAS http://www.bwtas.blogspot.com