It is somewhat telling that I am no longer surprised by homes that shouldn’t be homes. I suppose it comes with the territory of talking to agents and telling them that I would like to write about ‘some weird stuff’. We all enjoy the idea of a house with history, both in its bricks and owners, but we also enjoy looking at water towers and the like and wondering what it would be like to live in one.
So, to Suffolk, where Savills have a water tower, known as The Water Tower, for sale for £2.75 million. I am from Suffolk, and I have been to Aldeburgh, where the Water Tower is, and I have seen it. But now I get to see inside, and so do you.
Priors Hill Road is probably the nicest street in Aldeburgh, which is itself one of Suffolk’s nicest seaside towns. Not only are you already on a hill, you are also in a water tower, so you truly have the opportunity to lord it over everyone. Or just take in the nice views of the seaside.
The Water Tower was converted into a home in 2017, before which it was a water tower. It offers six bedrooms, four bathrooms and five reception rooms over six floors (eight if you include the terrace and the basement), but thankfully there is a lift.
The ground floor has been extended and enhanced to create a large kitchen/dining room space, a separate sitting room and two bedrooms, meaning you can live entirely on the ground floor, if you so wish. Everything is sleek and modern, combining the building’s Victorian past with contemporary amenities to create a comfortable entertaining and living space.
But where’s the fun in owning a water tower (or, indeed, The Water Tower), if you don’t go up. As you ascend, you will find more bedrooms (thankfully with a bathroom on each floor), as well as a further drawing room (second floor) and studio space (sixth floor).
There’s something quite charming about the modular living provided by a water tower house. Fun, exciting, and well designed, it’s also always pleasing to see old buildings being given a second chance. And, in Aldeburgh, where things can be a bit ‘the same’, it stands out in more ways than one.
-
The wisteria clad cottage where Noël Coward and Ivor Novello held court at the height of their fameThe 17th-century Follejon Cottage just outside Windsor was a perfect escape from the city for Noël Coward and his circle of friends. As it goes on the market, Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
What were the code names of the three tunnels dug during the Second World War’s Great Escape? It's the Country Life Quiz of the Day, October 23, 2025Test your general knowledge this fine Thursday.
-
The wisteria clad cottage where Noël Coward and Ivor Novello held court at the height of their fame
The 17th-century Follejon Cottage just outside Windsor was a perfect escape from the city for Noël Coward and his circle of friends. As it goes on the market, Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
A Cotswolds property that's the strangest mix of old and new we've ever seen... and yet somehow, it all worksThe Gasworks is a house quite unlike anything you've seen before — or at least anything you've seen all in one place. Toby Keel takes a closer look.
-
A country house near Windsor that could be straight from the pages of a Jilly Cooper novelPenny Churchill looks at the beautiful polo-lover's sanctuary that is Barkham Square Park.
-
The factory that once fuelled the Victorians' insatiable appetite for pianos has become a set of gorgeous, characterful apartmentsChappell & Co were a huge name in 19th century music, even working with Beethoven. Today, one of their old factories in Camden has become a series of beautiful apartments.
-
What £1 million buys you across Britain, from a Cornish cottage to a miniature castle in the HighlandsSprawling country houses, a mini-estate in Scotland and homes where the sea almost laps up at your feet are among the property options open to those with a seven-figure budget. Here's our pick of the best £1 million houses for sale across the land.
-
The Hampshire home of a Victoria Cross-winning British WWI ace fighter pilot is for sale, with lake, chapel and some of the best fishing rights in EnglandPenny Churchill looks at Longparish House, a north Hampshire haven on the River Test.
-
Five superb country homes, from under £1 million to £20 million, as seen in Country LifeOur look at some the best homes to come up for sale via Country Life in the past week includes a Wiltshire dream home and a vast Kent mansion that's an easy commute to the City.
-
Rock stars and the country house: Liam Gallagher's life in the Cotswolds is in the finest tradition of music A-listers, from The Beatles to BeyoncéWhat is it about the British countryside that draws A-listers from every walk of life? With Liam Gallagher's Cotswold former home on the market, Toby Keel takes a look.
