Water Tower

POOLE

SZ09NW WATER TOWER ROAD, Broadstone 958-1/2/213 (West side) 30/06/80 Water Tower (Formerly Listed as: WATER TOWER LANE, Broadstone Water Tower)

II

Water tower. 1894. For the Poole Water Company. MATERIALS: Red brick with dressings of purple and white brick, some limestone and terracotta. Cast iron tank and other ironwork. PLAN: Square plan. Three-stage tower with two-bay sides, carrying a cast-iron tank EXTERIOR: Tower has battered plinth of red brick in English bond with two recessed bands of purple brick with a limestone roll moulding to top of plinth; this is broken by round-headed doorway to rear (west). The sides are divided into two bays by giant white brick pilaster strips to angles and centre of each side. These have tall, think sunk panels of red brick with round-arched heads and bands of red brick above, defining the "capitals". Round arches of white brick join the pilaster strips and frame three tiers of tall iron-framed windows with round-arched heads of white brick except to the rear, which is windowless. There are dentilled brick string courses at stage levels set within giant arches, and large terracotta paterae to the spandrels of the arches joining pilaster strips. A round-arched corbel frieze frames the circular windows. Cast iron brackets between the arches of the corbel frieze support an iron railing and timber-decked walkway around the base of the tank; the latter approached by an external stair from a round-headed doorway to the rear, directly below corbel frieze. The tank has a pattern of seven square panels in three tiers which frame a circle joined to the corners by diagonals. INTERIOR: not inspected, but understood to retain a timber stairway giving access to the external gantry, and all the rising and falling mains which are contained within a central structural shaft. HISTORY: The tower, and its associated ground level reservoir was built to the designs of HFJ Barnes. At the time of construction the storage tank mounted on the top of the tower and the adjacent reservoir were open topped but, by 1907, both had been covered over with reinforced concrete slabs to improve water quality. The original reservoir was demolished in 1957 and replaced with a covered, reinforced concrete reservoir.

SOURCES: http://www.broadstone.net/archive/resassoc2002summer/12.htm G. Chitty, The Water and Sewage Industries - Step 4 (2001), Monuments Protection Programme, English Heritage M. Truman, Water Towers - Thematic List Review Report (2000), English Heritage

REASON FOR DECISION: The water tower in Broadstone is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * A carefully detailed and an architecturally distinguished example in a classical style * Quality of materials and craftsmanship, making prominent use of coloured brick, limestone and terracotta * Compares well with other listed examples of late-C19 water towers * Landmark value due to its prominent position in Broadstone

Listing NGR: SZ0117495826