Water Tower, With Boundary Railings And Gates

This is a former water tower, now a residence, dating from 1889. It stands prominently on the Tewkesbury to Worcester Road, serving as a memorial to 19th-century industry in the area. The water tower is associated with the main waterworks, located approximately 500 metres to the south, near Mythe Bridge.

The tower is constructed of red brick in a Flemish bond, with a flat roof. It is a three-stage square tower, set on a high plinth which incorporates the ground floor. The lowest stage is plain, except for the south side, which features an arched opening in three recessed orders, topped with a terracotta hoodmould, framing a pair of original plank doors with decorative strap hinges. The other three sides of this stage are plain.

The upper three levels each have three tall and narrow arches on each face, constructed with recessed orders and brick detailing. Alternately, these arches contain a window or a blind opening, all set within a continuous moulded drip-course and a deep double-weathered cill. The plinth is offset with two courses of weathered blue brick, and immediately above is a band of seven square terracotta recessed panels with a raised pattern of plain circles. Similar bands of panels featuring rosettes are found above the first and second stages, with intervening bands of blue brick. The terracotta parapet has three weathered chamfers over a plain eaves course.

To the left of the tower, modern quadrant walls enclose a pair of tapered, octagonal, fluted cast-iron gate piers, with a pair of gates featuring simple diagonal railings terminating in spearheads. The tower and accompanying underground water storage tank are enclosed on three sides by a continuous railing set in approximately 2.2-metre bays supported by propped standards. The railing has been removed on the roadside, except for a short length to the right of the gates. The design is notably bold, consistently and carefully detailed in hard red engineering brick with terracotta elements. The conversion to residential use has not altered the external fabric of the building.