The Water Tower, North Esk Road, Montrose

IF YOU are a buyer who appreciates having the most interesting property in the street, then this former water tower could catch your eye. Converted 30 years ago into a residential building, it is a beautiful Victorian edifice which could now do with upgrading.
Julia Treharne, of Strutt and Parker, who is marketing the property, says that it is very much habitable now - with three bedrooms, a kitchen, sitting room, dining area, office and living room squeezed on to the first and second floor, leaving the top and ground floors as storage space. She says: "None of the rooms are big although they are useable, but there is work needed to be done - new kitchen and bathroom, new carpets, certainly."
Treharne says that the obvious route to go with any upgrading of the property, however, is to split it into two. "By creating another kitchen on one of the floors, you would have plenty of room for two flats" and estimates the amount needed to achieve this at about £40,000.
It would take some imagination, but not all the tower has been developed already, so some parts at least would be a blank canvas. At present the top floor is one large room, measuring 30ft by 30ft, but with the obvious challenges that an octagonal room presents - as is the case with the rest of the building. As you would expect, the views from the tower get better as you go up and there is access to a safe room which could make an interesting feature too.
Outside there is a garden with lawn and trees and plenty of parking; the street is quiet and residential. The tower was built in 1841 and is B-listed and so there may be planning restrictions but with a little foresight this could make a great home, or two.