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Landmark tower up for sale with £650,000 tag
IT HAS been a landmark in the heart of York for the last 700 years.
But Lendal Tower is now to be advertised for sale for only the second time in its history, providing the opportunity for a buyer to create a spectacular one-off home.
The Grade I listed scheduled ancient monument, which sits on the banks of the Ouse by Lendal Bridge, is being sold after it was repossessed following the collapse of companies owned by flamboyant businessman David Hattersley.
The property firm David Hattersley Ltd ceased trading a year ago before the Yorkshire entrepreneur had the chance to turn the tower into a luxury 2,000-a-week holiday let.
In May this year his hospitality and hotel company Havis Two went into liquidation.
He bought the landmark property, which comes with two adjoining Georgian houses, for 1.2m in 2006 and it is now priced for sale at 650,000.
The tower boasts a 30ft entrance hall with lift to the first floor, where there are two large rooms and a lift to a 35ft space on the second floor. It also has gardens and a roof terrace.
Part of the York tourist trail, the tower was built in 1300 as part of the city's defences.
In 1677 it was leased to the York Water Works company and later passed to Yorkshire Water, whose property arm Keyland sold it to local developers the Helmsley Group in 2004 for about 1m.
They got permission from English Heritage to convert it and sold it on to Mr Hattersley but retained the freehold.
The adjoining Grade II listed Whistler house, which has two bedrooms, and five-bedroom Lendal Hill House were renovated by Mr Hattersley, although there is scope for some remodelling.
The tower, which has more than 2,000 sq ft of space, needs work but could be converted into a two-bedroom home.
Its medieval construction is complemented with other period features including a Pickering lift and the former York Waterworks Company boardroom that has 1930s wood panelling and decorative plasterwork.
Estate agent Edward Stoyle, of Carter Jonas, York, said: "The tower needs a lot of work on the ground floor and it needs flood- proofing.
"You're probably talking about spending over 100,000 at least on it but would make an amazing two-bedroom home.
"I doubt you'd be able to get a mortgage on it as it is a scheduled ancient monument and it floods, but the potential is obvious.
"The previous owner reconfigured the layout of the two houses and the tower into an arrangement where they are like three flats and that doesn't really work, but if you convert them back into three separate properties I'd say there is a big profit to be made."
The tower and the houses are in a prime location on the eastern banks of the River Ouse, on the edge of the Museum Gardens and alongside Lendal Bridge, which gives easy access to the York railway station on one side and the bustling centre of York on the other.
For more details on the Lendal Tower sale by Carter Jonas telephone 01904 558200.
Seven hundred years of history
Lendal Tower has stood next to the River Ouse since about 1300.
It was built to help defend the city and housed a great iron chain that could be pulled across the river to the Barker Tower opposite.
This gave protection in times of trouble and enabled tolls to be levied on river traffic.
In 1677, the tower was leased for 500 years to the York Waterworks company established by Henry Whistler.
It became the city's first waterworks with a horse- powered pump supplying the water via pipes made from hollowed out tree trunks.
After Mr Whistler died the concern was sold to Col William Thornton of Cattal and later to Jerome Dring in 1779 for 7,000 with shares held by John Smeaton, designer of the Eddystone Lighthouse.
Mr Smeaton helped improve the steam engine at the waterworks, which in 1836 was given its own dedicated engine house.
Lendal Tower's tank was also removed in the mid-1800s lowering the building by 10ft, and railway architect George Townsend Andrews added the medieval, crenellated roof.
It was then used as stores and offices for the waterworks company that eventually became part of Yorkshire Water.
They sold it to the Helmsley Group, who sold it on to David Hattersley.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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