Carshalton Water Tower

Although the name suggests the water tower is an industrial building, it is, in fact, an unusual early 18th century garden folly set in what was once a formal pleasure garden. It contains a water pump, which supplied water to the house and kept the fountains flowing.

It’s a quirky brick building with huge windows on the ground floor and a tower rising from the middle ornamented with pinnacles and urns.

Inside, there is a suite of rooms including an orangery, a saloon, once used for entertaining guests and, of course, the pump room. The highlight may well be the so-called bagnio – a room with a cold bath lined with exquisite blue and white Delft tiles.

It’s possible to visit the Water Town on summer Sunday afternoons, courtesy of  the Water Tower Trust and the Friends of Carshalton Water Tower.