The Water Tower which can be accessed from the gate on West Street re-opens to the public.
Time – 2.30pm – 5.00pm every Sunday, until the 30th September.
Also the first Opening of the year of the Hermitage 2.30 – 4.30 pm on 7th April.
Councillor Jill Whitehead at The Water Tower
There have been several restoration projects carried out in different parts of the Grade II listed early 18th century Water Tower. The first that we know of was the work completed after World War II bomb damage.
Since that time The Daughters of the Cross, then the Carshalton Water Tower Trust and now Carshalton Water Tower and Historic Garden Trust have worked on many projects with the assistance of the Friends.
Since the Friends were formed in the early 1990’s this restoration work includes:
- The remains of the Water Wheel in the Pump Chamber
- The restoration of the window in the Robing Room, now the Kitchen area
- Bathroom tile restoration
- Orangery and Saloon windows
- On the Water Tower the stone piers in the Pump Chamber
In addition there is a continual ongoing programme of painting and decorating, including the creation of kitchen and toilet facilities and work in the Grade II listed mid-18th century landscape areas to create the gardens.
In late 2006 the Carshalton Water Tower and Historic Garden Trust signed a lease to have the Folly Bridge and Lake area within their charge. Funding was obtained and the restoration of the Folly Bridge was completed in 2010. In 2011 further restoration work on the Hermitage addressed drainage problems which has been detrimental to the stonework in places with stone replacement and repair undertaken.