Water Tower is a Grade II listed building in the Swindon local planning authority area, England. First listed on 23 April 1986. Water tower. 2 related planning applications.

Water Tower

WRENN ID
still-quartz-juniper
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Swindon
Constituency
Swindon South MP: Heidi Alexander (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
23 April 1986
Type
Water tower
Address
Water Tower, Bristol Street, South Swindon
OS grid reference
SU 144 847
Coordinates
51.56157, -1.79347
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The water tower for the Great Western Works, built in 1870, is a Grade II listed structure located on Bristol Street in Swindon. It is constructed of cast iron and features round storey stanchions arranged in a 3 by 3 bay layout across 4 lifts. Each lift is diagonally braced and supported by cast iron girders that have interlaced circles. The central bay has a timber-faced shaft. At the top, there is a grillage platform that supports the water tanks, which were replaced in 1979-1980. This water tower serves as an important landmark in the area.

Local climate

Water Tower receives an average of 790 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 59% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 56% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 36 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 65% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 2 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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Nearby listed buildings

  1. 26, Bristol Street Grade II 32 m
  2. 6, Church Place Grade II 32 m
  3. Former GWR School Grade II 49 m
  4. Prospect House Grade II 51 m
  5. Armstrong monument in the south-west corner of the churchyard, Church of St Mark Grade II 61 m
  6. 25 and 26, Bathampton Street Grade II 79 m
  7. Church of St Mark, boundary walls and gatepiers Grade II 87 m
  8. 3 and 4, Church Place Grade II 90 m
  9. Gooch Tomb in churchyard, about 24m north of north tower, Church of St Mark Grade II 93 m
  10. 28 and 29, Exeter Street Grade II 95 m