A British couple bought a derelict 85-foot, seven-storey Victorian water tower at auction; after years of painstaking work, the former asylum water supply became their family home
An 85-foot Victorian water tower that once supplied an asylum in South London has been turned into a family home after a major multi-million-pound restoration by a British couple. The Grade II-listed structure in Kennington was built in 1877 to supply water to the former Lambeth Workhouse and Infirmary. It was later bought at auction by Leigh Osborne and Graham Voce. According to the Financial Times, the couple took on the abandoned, nine-storey landmark and turned it into a modern home. When Osborne and Voce bought the property, the historic brick tower was in very poor condition. Trees had grown through parts of the brickwork, gaps could be seen in the structure, and the inside was filled with rubbish and hundreds of dead pigeons. The building had no working utilities, while its masonry was up to six feet thick in some places.Turning the Victorian structure into a modern home required a complex restoration and construction project. One of the biggest additions was a modern four-storey glass structure at the base of the tower, known as “the cube”. It contains the main open-plan kitchen, dining and living areas. The project also included a narrow secondary tower built next to the original structure. It contains a lift and bathrooms and is connected to the historic tower through glazed corridors. At the top of the 85-foot tower, where a huge steel water tank once stood, the couple built a 360-degree glass viewing room. It offers wide views across central London, including The Shard, Big Ben and the London Eye.
Tight deadline and rising costs
The restoration came with major practical and financial challenges. Osborne and Voce had only a 12-month window to access neighbouring land owned by a third-party freeholder. Planning approvals, survey delays and technical drawings reduced the actual construction period to just eight months. Costs also rose quickly. The glass used for the new structures cost £240,000, while scaffolding cost £60,000. Early tests of the ground showed that the foundations needed to be dug deeper than expected. This added £25,000 to the project within the first hour of work at the site. The finished home also needed modern heating and technology. A £25,000 air-source heat pump was installed to provide heating and hot water. An integrated audio-visual system cost another £35,000.
Keeping the historic character
Despite the new glass and steel additions, the original 1877 water tower was carefully preserved. Workers repaired the old brickwork while keeping the building’s historic appearance. The tower also has a link to the area’s social history. It was reportedly visited by Charlie Chaplin during his childhood stay at the nearby Lambeth Workhouse. The completed project has transformed a neglected part of London’s old industrial and public infrastructure into a distinctive family home. The property has four bedrooms and large living spaces spread across its original nine floors. The Financial Times described the project as an example of how historic institutional buildings can be given a new purpose as modern homes. What was once an abandoned Victorian utility structure has now become a unique residence, combining its original brick tower with modern glass spaces and wide views over London.
