House in the Clouds
Coordinates: 52°10′55″N 1°36′34″E / 52.18194°N 1.60944°E
The House in the Clouds is a water tower at Thorpeness, Suffolk, UK. It was built in 1923 to receive water pumped from Thorpeness Windmill[1] and was designed to improve the looks of the water tower, disguising its tank with the appearance of a weatherboarded building more in keeping with Thorpeness's mock-Tudor and Jacobean style, except seeming to float above the trees.[2] The original capacity of the water tank was 50,000 imperial gallons (230,000 l) but during the Second World War, the House in the Clouds was hit by gunfire from anti-aircraft guns based at Thorpeness. The water tank was repaired using its own steel, which resulted in a reduced capacity of 30,000 imperial gallons (140,000 l).[3] In 1977 the water tower was made redundant by a mains water supply to the village, and additional living space was created. In 1979 the main water tank was removed to fully convert the building into a house. The building currently has five bedrooms and three bathrooms; it contains a total of 68 steps from top to bottom and is around 70 ft high.
It has been a Grade II Listed Building since 1995.[4]
References
- ↑ "houseintheclouds.co.uk". Retrieved 2007-07-24.
- ↑ Fisher, Adrian (2005). Mazes and Follies. Norwich: Jarrold. p. 49. ISBN 1-84165-142-7.
- ↑ Regan, Dean (1997). Windmills of Suffolk. Suffolk: Dean Regan. pp. 26–28. ISBN 0-9531562-0-6.
- ↑ "Listing for House In The Clouds". English Heritage. 1995-01-26. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
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