WW2 air control tower in Tholthorpe now a spectacular home and holiday let

After coming to Britain's aid during World War Two, the Royal Canadian Air Force had a base at Tholthorpe, near York. Its airfield control tower helped guide the Halifax Bomber planes and their brave crews but after the war it fell derelict. Rosy and Paul Walker rescued the building and turned it into a home and holiday let, which celebrates the tower's proud history. Sharon Dale reports. Pictures by Gary Longbottom and Damian James Bramley and WW2 pictures courtesy of the Bomber Command Museum of Canada and Library and Archives Canada/Department of National Defence.

Inside Tholthorpe Control Tower in World War Two

When Rosy and Paul Walker announced they were going to buy a derelict control tower instead of a ready-made home, the response from family and friends was unanimous. “They thought we were mad,” says Rosy.

Built in 1943, the tower at Tholthorpe, near Easingwold, was a Second World War bomber command centre for four Canadian Air Force squadrons.The building and its airfield played a vital role in securing victory for the Allies but by the time the Walkers viewed it, it was a derelict shell full of mice and pigeons.“It had been decommissioned after the war and sold to a farmer. Someone recognised the potential and got planning permission to turn the control tower into a dwelling, which is why we are here,” says Paul.

Paul and Rosy Walker

He and Rosy bought the building and converted it 26 years ago. Until recently it was one big family house but is now part home and part holiday/Airbnb accommodation.The decision to create a self-contained area for guests came after the Walkers’ three grown-up children left home and they found themselves with too much space. Instead of downsizing they decided to create an income-generating home to help pay for the property’s upkeep.

The holiday let's sitting room in the control tower

The first floor, which was once the control room, is now a holiday apartment. It has a large, open-plan living space and a bedroom and bathroom. The multiple windows fill the area with incredible long-range views that stretch to the Howardian Hills, the Wolds and the Dales.There’s also a balcony that spans the width of the building on the first floor and a glazed “look-out lounge” on the roof, which may have originally housed wireless equipment.

The first floor is cosy thanks to new windows and a Dovre stove

There’s another letting bedroom and en-suite next to the ground floor entrance, and Rose and Paul have their own living quarters at the rear of the building.It’s all a far cry from the abandoned piece of wartime history they bought in 1993. “We had lived in Cheshire but we are both from Yorkshire and wanted to come back home and we were all set to buy a normal house in York but it fell through,” says Rosy.“We ended up with this because it was pre-internet days so I went into the estate agents to see if they had anything new and spotted the details for the control tower.”Rosy and Paul were excited by the potential and the location and, even though they had no previous experience of self-building or major renovations, they took the plunge and put in a sealed bid.“We were thrilled when we won the bidding but we had no idea what we were letting ourselves in for. It’s a good job we were young and had lots of energy when we took it on,” says Paul.

The kitchen in the open plan living space.

The couple bought an old caravan and lived on site with their two toddler sons and Chuck the puppy – named after one of the Tholthorpe airmen.It took 18 months to make the place habitable and Paul did most of the work himself. Both he and Rosy are creative. He studied industrial design and worked in manufacturing and she studied textiles and was an art teacher.The first job was to get a structural survey. Luckily, although the brick building and its concrete render looked terrible, it was still sound. That was a nice surprise – but it was followed by the shock of a £10,000 bill to get an electricity supply.Making the control tower watertight was the next challenge but luck was on their side when it came to replacing the single glazed, steel-framed windows. “Crittall fitted out a lot of wartime buildings and still had some of our size of windows in stock,” says Paul.

They lasted another 20 years until the Walkers replaced them with more efficient, double-glazed, aluminium- framed versions.Another big part of the conversion was to insulate the roof and the walls. The site is exposed and was chosen as an airfield because of the strength of the winds.Other must-haves were bought from salvage yards, including the 1930s internal doors, and there were many cost-effective solutions, like covering the worn concrete steps with mdf treads.The decor has seen several incarnations, but the latest includes a smart kitchen with units from York-based Kütchenhaus and a Dovre wood-burning stove for the holiday apartment. It also has a record player and an eclectic vinyl collection, which is proving very popular. The dining table is made from legs that Paul found in a skip and a birch ply top made by a local joiner.There are plenty of vintage finds too, including a collection of ceramics, radios and an old laboratory cupboard.The walls are filled with landscape paintings by Paul, while Rosy has made the most of the lampshades and curtains.

The Royal Canadian Airforce Joplin crew with "Sweet Sue" at Tholthorpe

The Walkers have always tried to make sure their conversion has integrity so the control tower’s former use is still obvious. That was recognised in a poignant ceremony in 1996 when air force veterans commissioned a plaque for the tower to honour those who served there during the war.

The Royal Canadian Airforce McKay crew of 420 squadron at Tholthorpe

Some of the Canadian servicemen from squadrons 420 Snowy Owl, 425 Alloette, 431 Iroquois and 434 Bluenose attended the event. “We feel very privileged to have the plaque here and it takes pride of place at the front entrance for all our guests to see,” says Paul.Since opening their holiday let, they have hosted relatives of those who served at the airbase. “We didn’t realise what it meant to so many people. They have lots of tales to tell about wartime here and it has got very emotional because, of course, some of the men never returned from their missions,” says Rosy.“The fact that the building still looks like a control tower and you can still make out the runways gives a real feeling of what this place was like then and that has always been very important to us.”For more details on staying at The Control Tower visit www.thecontroltowertholthorpe.co.uk