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AXESS 2 INSTALL GLASS LIFT IN GEORGE CLARKE’S RESTORATION MAN WATER TOWER PROJECT

Pannal Water Tower was one of the last brick public water supply towers built, as reinforced concrete was being extensively used for water towers at this time. The 37,500 gallon water tower was built in the 1940s by Harrogate Corporation Waterworks Department to serve the village of Kirkby Overblow.

Due to more modern ways of water supply being introduced, the tower went out of service and was left to fall in a shabby unloved state. Eventually Yorkshire Water obtained the tower and were granted planning permission to convert the tower into a private dwelling. In 2010, Pannal Water Tower was put up for sale and bought by Mr & Mrs Nadry, who had big plans to create a luxurious five storey family home, whilst being sympathetic to the building and its past.

The project was not without its problems! The planning permission that was originally obtained showed the tank removed on the plans, although this was not a specific condition, a new planning application had to be submitted to retain the tank and save the look of the building. Many months of planning and paperwork and 20 tons of steel later, the tank was saved and work could commence!

In early 2014, Mr Nadry approached Axess 2 to design a lift solution for the project. The home lift was not only to provide access to all 5 levels in the tower, but was to be one of the main design features in the house.

The lift was to be installed in a bespoke RAL coloured steel, situated in the corner of the tower, starting off in the living area, rising up to a cantilevered mezzanine, through to the bedrooms and then up in to the tank itself. Glass panels were to shroud the steel structure revealing the exposed brick work and lift mechanism.

The Water Tower project recently featured on George Clarke’s Restoration Man which aired on Wednesday 28th January. The programme is set to return in the summer to revisit the completed Water Tower.