Image: North Essex Heritage / The Jumbo Project
Pre-construction begins July with main works starting December 2025, featuring restaurant, immersive experience and 360° cupola views by 2027.
The Balkerne Water Tower in Colchester, known locally by locals as ‘Jumbo’, is set to be regenerated into a visitor experience, with work set to commence later this year.
A package of works are to set to revive the Grade II* listed building which was decommissioned in 1984.
Once completed, the tower will become a fully accessible destination venue with visitor experience and historical interpretation spaces.
Pre-construction work is due to start on-site early July 2025, ahead of main construction work beginning in December 2025. The project’s completion is scheduled for 2027.
The project has been commissioned by North Essex Heritage, who secured a 150-year lease on the building in 2021, and has backing from UK Government Funding, Colchester City Council, Historic England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The tower’s construction dates back to 1882 and was built using about 1.25 million bricks and 142 tonnes of cast iron.
The completed project, led by North Essex Heritage, will include a restaurant, visitor experience, and historical interpretation space. Inside the tower will be an immersive audio-visual experience and a 360° view from the cupola.
Simon Hall DL MBE, chair of North Essex Heritage, said: “The importance of Jumbo both locally and nationally cannot be overstated. Newly restored, thanks to National Lottery players and other funders, Jumbo will be a highly visible exemplar of historic building conservation and creative heritage reuse, contributing to Colchester’s wider economic regeneration.”
Sir Robert McAlpine Special Projects and Purcell are among partners on the project industry-leading heritage sector expertise and experience working on listed buildings will be key in retaining the tower’s historical attributes.
Mike Coleman, operations director at Sir Robert McAlpine Special Projects, said the company’s work will “retain the tower’s charm and character while bringing it up to the standards required of a modern-day attraction.”
