A proper liquid asset
This old pump house is primed for renovation, writes Paul Drury
It would be a massive leap of faith – but you could end up making waves in the property market. the old filter house of a Scottish Water facility at Fairmilehead in Edinburgh has gone on sale with Savills. After being built in 1910, the filter house treated the capital’s drinking water for a century before it was replaced by a modern plant.
Now, it is being offered to the residential market as a potential ‘Grand Designs’ statement home or – more practically – as the basis for two semi-detached properties.
the filter house was built as part of the talla scheme, promoted by the Edinburgh and District Water trust in October 1894.
At the time the talla reservoir, 28 miles away in Peeblesshire, was identified as the future source of a growing Edinburgh’s water supply.
the building was known as Bell’s filter house, after the manufacturer of the pressure filter installed in it.
Savills selling agent Danielle Corker says: ‘You don’t often see a building as unique as this.
‘I couldn’t tell you the last time I saw a filter house, never mind one for sale on the open market.
‘the possibilities for creating something special are endless.’
It is definitely a project purchase; the buyer is looking at a derelict industrial building in the raw. Roof beams are exposed, the internal walls are bare sandstone – and there’s a huge basement pool through which millions of gallons of water were once pumped.
On the outside, the ornamental cast iron drainpipes and gutters are broken and overgrown with moss and vegetation.
And yet, one can picture Kevin McCloud sauntering around the Blisted plant in a high-vis vest and hard hat, waxing lyrical about the elegance of ‘Edwardian baroque’ and its ‘flow’ through the building.
the red sandstone pediment and ashlar door surround are in such good condition, they belie the building’s century of use as an industrial plant. the filter house sits in one of Edinburgh’s more desirable suburbs, close to the Pentland Hills, the city bypass and a nearby Waitrose store.
the lane adjacent to the building may be used by emergency vehicles but there would be no through traffic.
As other parts of the Scottish Water site were sold off, new homes have been built nearby by developers Cala and David Wilson Homes. Planning permission would be required to convert the filter house to a home but the estate agents claim it could turn into a liquid asset.
Miss Corker adds: ‘Internally, it has been stripped of everything that was there before. It is a shell, so it would need complete renovation.
‘there are plentiful options available because of the size – 2,810sq ft.
‘It could be a nice large family home but a couple of developers are also looking at splitting it into a number of smaller units.
‘Once you have your scheme drawn up by an architect, you would then need to approach the council for planning permission.’
that, and get ready for Kevin McCloud knocking on your door.