Water Tower, With Boundary Railings And Gates

TEWKESBURY

SO83SE A38, The Mythe 859-1/2/387 (West side) 10/10/85 Water tower, with boundary railings and gates (Formerly Listed as: WORCESTER ROAD, The Mythe Mythe Water Tower)

II

Former water tower, now residence. 1889. Red brick in Flemish bond, flat roof not visible. A square tower in Italianate Romanesque, in 3 stages on high plinth containing the ground floor. Lowest stage plain, with on S side an arched opening in 3 recessed orders, under terracotta hoodmould, containing pair of original plank doors with decorative strap hinges; the other 3 faces plain. The upper 3 levels have 3 tall and narrow arches to each face, with a recessed order having ovolo-mould responds, all in brick, and containing alternately a window or blind opening to a continuous moulded drip-course over the arches and as a band at springing level, and a deep double-weathered cill. The plinth has offset with 2 courses of weathered blue brick; immediately above is a band containing 7 square terracotta recessed panels with raised pattern of plain circles. Above each of the first and second stages a similar band of panels with rosettes, with a flush band in 2 courses of blue brick above and below. Parapet, in terracotta, is in 3 weathered chamfers over a plain eaves course. To left of tower, set back to C20 quadrant walls, a pair of tapered octagonal fluted cast-iron gate piers, with pair of gates with simple diagonal railings to spearheads. Tower and accompanying underground water storage tank enclosed on 3 sides by a continuous railing, of similar detail, in approx 2.2m bays to propped standards. Railing removed on road side, except for short length to right of gates. A very forthright design, consistently and carefully detailed in hard red engineering brick with terracotta details. The tower occupies a prominent position at a high point on the Tewkesbury to Worcester Road, and is an excellent memorial to an aspect of C19 industry in Tewkesbury. The main water-works (not included), with which it is associated, are located approx 500m to the S, by Mythe Bridge. The transformation to domestic use has been effected with no visible change to the fabric externally.

Listing NGR: SO8898034414