20th century water tower, Church Road (EHER 47413)

A concrete water tower, built in the industrial modern style, was constructed in 1952.

The structure has a circular plan form built from reinforced concrete, with the water tank supported on tall concrete columns. The interior is laid out on five levels accessed by steel ladders, including the tank itself and a small roof turret. Machinery and technical features have been removed from inside the building and mobile phone masts have been added to the roof, connected to relay stations built to the west. The toilet block stands close to the site of the Victorian water tower and the pump house further to the west, in an area of overgrown lawn surrounded by mature trees. <1> Twelve tapering square columns support a large concrete drum containing the tank, whose base sits on concrete ribs radiating outwards from the central core. Horizontal ribs between the tall columns prevent the legs spreading from the weight above. <1> The columns form a circle around the central core, which provides the only access into the building. Entry is by a doorway on the south side set below a concrete lintel within The Former Water Tower, Church Road, Brightlingsea, one of the six tall recessed panel that extend up to the tank. Each panel is fitted with narrow 10-pane partly-tilting steel windows on each floor level. <1> The tank has recessed square panels around its outer wall and steel rails around the edge of the roof to hold the mobile phone masts. The roof itself is convex for rain run-off and featureless apart from a circular turret that protrudes from the centre, three regularly-spaced curved breather pipes and two inspection covers into the tank below. <1> The turret is fenestrated with three-pane steel windows, on all but the eastern side where a small hatch provides access onto the roof. Although locked during the survey, access onto the roof was possible through one of the windows. The interior is essentially divided into five levels, the ground floor engineer’s room, two ladder levels accessed by ceiling hatches (one of which leads through the tank by a central ladder shaft), the tank and the roof turret. Access through the building is by caged steel ladders and square ceiling apertures lined with steel safety railings. Interiors are painted white to maximise light levels. No technical fixtures or fittings remain. <1>