Work on £6m scheme to convert Victorian landmark into visitor destination due to start later this year
Work is due to begin on the £6 million restoration of the grade II* listed Jumbo water tower in Colchester, with Purcell as heritage architect. The practice was appointed following a competition in 2022 and is working with contractor Sir Robert McAlpine to deliver the scheme, which aims to conserve and repurpose the disused 19th-century structure as a visitor attraction.
Built in 1882 and decommissioned in 1984, the 40-metre-tall tower is the largest surviving Victorian municipal water tower in England. Designed by borough engineer Charles Clegg, the tower was constructed using over 1.2 million locally produced bricks and 142 tonnes of cast iron. Originally intended to supply clean water across Colchester, the building played a key role in the town’s late 19th-century public health improvements.
Zoë Skelding, partner at Purcell, said: “We look forward to working with the Special Projects team at Sir Robert McAlpine, drawing upon their extensive expertise and track record of delivering complex and historic projects, to conserve and revitalise Jumbo Water Tower.”
Client North Essex Heritage secured a 150-year lease on the building in 2021 and is overseeing the project with backing from Colchester City Council, Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Planning consultancy is provided by Boyer.
Main construction work is expected to start at the end of 2025 following a six-month preconstruction phase. The design is intended to restore public access to the tower and bring new cultural and educational uses to the building, which has become an enduring symbol of the city.
Known locally as Jumbo, the structure attracted controversy at the time of its construction due to its scale and cost. The nickname was coined by a local clergyman opposed to the tower’s location near his garden, who likened it to a famous elephant at London Zoo.
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