A water-tower conversion on the north Devon coast with 360º views of the countryside
Buying a water tower and converting it into a home sounds like folly. Which is why you should buy one that's been completed by someone else.


One of the great joys of Grand Designs is watching people look at random things strewn around the countryside and decide that, yes, in fact, I could turn that into a home, at great personal cost. Just this season, we’ve had a couple look at a coastguard station and go: ‘that would make a great house’. On Wednesday, a couple looked at a water tower, which is a giant structure used to hold water, and saw, instead, a potential home.
To be fair to Tassy and Adam, they are not the first people to try and convert a water tower into a home. Who can forget the glorious Kennington example from Episode 100? As you might have surmised by now, however, renovating a water tower is not exactly easy. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone had done it for you, and you could just move in?
Good news. You could buy this finished example in Devon right now, through Knight Frank, for £1.4 million. No stress. No builders. No Kevin sniffing around your wardrobes. Just move in right now. Job done.
Looking around the aptly named Water Tower, you do start to understand why people are so drawn to water towers in general and want to live in them. 360º living and views. Pretty much guaranteed no leaks.
This specimen offers five bedrooms and three bathrooms over its three floors. On the ground floor, a spacious entrance hall, two bedrooms and a study. First floor, an enormous principal bedroom, two more bedrooms. Top floor. Well, well well. Let the pictures do the talking.
Yes, you guessed it, an entire floor dedicated as a kitchen/dining/sitting room. Imagine the parties. Maybe I should buy a water tower and renovate it. No, stop it. Remember Tassy and Adam.
The property also features a garage on its plot, and is achingly close to the coast, so much so that you can see it from the top floor. The historic fishing village of Clovelly, with its range of amenities, is only two miles away, and the area is famed for its cliff-top walks. A real haven in North Devon. And you don’t have to renovate it yourself.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
The essence of perfection: A modern Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in Surrey
Someone has been studying Country Life — This Arts-and-Crafts home near Godalming was crafted under the watchful eye of some
Credit: James Baily/Lurot Brand
A crumbling, one bedroom wreck with an energy efficiency rating of 1 out of 100, yours for £2.25 million... but what a location
The opportunity to create a dream home in Maida Vale's most sought after mews doesn't come along all that often,
You had me at merlot: The rise of English wine and what it means for the countryside
For the first time, the UK is home to more than 1,000 vineyards — and counting.

James Fisher is the Digital Commissioning Editor of Country Life. He writes about motoring, travel and things that upset him. He lives in London. He wants to publish good stories, so you should email him.
-
Country Life 15 October 2025
Country Life 15 October 2025 plants hedges with Alan Titchmarsh, pulls up a chair in the London Library and basks in autumn's beautiful colours.
By Country Life Published
-
Vested interest: The history of the waistcoat
Favoured by Byronic bluesmen, Eton pops and rotund royalty, the waistcoat and its later iterations are an integral part of the Englishman’s wardrobe, says Simon Mills.
By Simon Mills Published
-
A beautiful Victorian vicarage that was home to one of the Cadbury family heiresses is on the market
Penny Churchill tells the tale of Monks Bridge in Warwickshire.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
An outrageously opulent mansion in London's answer to Beverly Hills, with a gym that 'wouldn't look out of place in a 7* hotel'
'One of the finest houses in St George's Hill' is on the market. Annabel Dixon takes a look at what's on offer.
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
Six homes with fantastic features, from pools and paddocks to waterside settings, as seen in Country Life
Our look at the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week includes a Chipping Norton farm and a Cornish dream home
By Toby Keel Published
-
Queen Victoria's chaplain's house on the Isle of Wight is for sale, and it's a riot of colour, charm and joy
A stone's thrown from Queen Victoria's beloved Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, the house where her chaplain lived is now on the open market.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
An Art Deco masterpiece with five-bedrooms, a private pool, a cinema, a helipad and the ability to conquer oceans
Lady Christine is the very essence of opulence and could be yours for a cool €55.75 million.
By James Fisher Published
-
The elegant 19th century townhouse where JFK and Jackie Kennedy dreamed of the presidency, and made their wish came true
This beautiful five-bedroom house in Washington DC's Georgetown was once home to perhaps the most celebrated couple of the 20th century: John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie Kennedy.
By Toby Keel Published
-
This five-bedroom thatched cottage in the Chilterns looks quite like Claudia Winkleman
Much like everyone's favourite TV host, this property is beautifully presented.
By James Fisher Published
-
A heartbreakingly pretty old rectory in the idyllic Cotswolds valley that offers charm, beauty, sophistication and a fast train to London
Penny Churchill takes a look at the Old Rectory in Charlbury, which has become available for the first time in almost 35 years.
By Penny Churchill Published