The Water Tower - Arbroath, Angus.
Posted by: 
creg-ny-baa
N 56° 33.439 W 002° 35.693
30V E 524901 N 6268183
Disused, red sandstone, fortress like water tower, built in 1885, that had a lifespan of only twenty years.
Waymark Code: WMVG7Q
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/15/2017
Views: 3
The former water tower in the town of Arbroath on the east coast of Scotland is situated on Keptie Hill near the centre of the town. It was built in 1885 in the style of a medieval fortress with rusticated red sandstone walls and machicolated battlements. A square tower with a circular corner turret sits at the south end. It is jokingly known as Arbroath's Castle. The structure ceased to be of use in 1906 when the town's water supply was taken from the Angus Glens to the north of the county.
A plaque situated on the southern side reads as follows:
'The drought of 1870 and the increase in housing around Arbroath precipitated the Arbroath Corporation to seek a supplementary water supply.
By 1882 the water committee of the Police Board had resolved to sink two wells between Nolt Loans and Keptie Hill on ground leased from Mr Colvill's patrons and to erect distribution tanks on the hill with a pumping station at the wells.
The Police Board sought permission from Mr Colvill's patrons to erect a tank on Keptie Hill, however the patrons disapproved of the building sketched for them by the Superintendant of Police and were of the opinion that "having regard to the prominent situation the building will occupy, it is essential that the proposed erection shall be of an ornate character."
Friockheim architect W Gillespie Lamont, designed the water tower for a fee of £55 and Archibald Anderson was the builder of the project which cost roughly £8000. In July 1885 the water tower was turned on from Keptie Hill.
When full, the three tanks held almost 200,000 gallons, each tank weighing 284 tons.
However the water tower proved insufficient for the increasing demand for water and a plan to take a supply from the Noran Water at Glenogil was completed in 1906, thus making the water tower surplus to requirements.'
In 1937 the land surrounding the tower was given to the Town Council for use as a park. The tower is B-listed and the interior retains its original water tanks. Many different plans have been drawn up for the tower's use, the latest is for a diver's training facility, but so far nothing has come to light.