Neil Dawson, 53, from West Derby, has designed many of Liverpool’s most popular bars
17:05, 04 Apr 2026
Neil Dawson, who is in the process of erecting a house for his family on top of Tower Hill Water Tower in Ormskirk.(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A Liverpool architect is planning to build a state-of-the-art house on top of Britain’s oldest water tower. Neil Dawson, 53, has designed many of Liverpool’s most popular bars, and has now turned his attention to the Tower Hill Water Tower in Ormskirk.
The Grade II* listed structure, completed 1854, has been the subject of various ill-fated planning applications since the 1980s, but Neil’s plans for a two-storey glass structure complete with roof terrace got the nod from the local council in 2024. Neil, originally from West Derby, plans to live on top of the water tower with wife Sue, 54, and daughter Anfi, 20.
“Until recently I thought ‘What am I doing?’” Neil told the ECHO when we visited the 56ft tower this week. He led the way up a spiral staircase that winds its way up one of the hollow legs. At the top, he slides a metal grate to the side and sits atop his sandstone tower. He points out Southport, Blackpool Tower, the Welsh hills and the Lake District.
He said: “This is what we’re doing it for, this view. You don’t look down, you look out at the view. Something needs to happen with it, otherwise it’s going to rot and collapse. I think a single family dwelling is the least intrusive.”
Neil bought the tower in 2017 and applied for planning permission, but work did not begin until 2019. Months later, all works were stopped by the pandemic. The house replaces the old metal water tank that once topped the sandstone pillars.
Neil Dawson at the top of Tower Hill Water Tower, Ormskirk.(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Concept images show a futuristic glass structure on top of the Victorian tower. Neil argues the sandstone structure will fare better when the weight it was designed to take is replaced.
Neil has drawn inspiration from previous projects, including the Matchbox in Speke. He said: “It’s tectonic architecture, where you can see every nut and bolt and it’s all clearly put together. That’s what interests me. This will be like the Matchbox in the sky.”
Neil runs Snook Architects, a Liverpool-based firm which has designed many of the city’s most popular night-time venues, including SoHo, McCooley’s and Level, as well as the recently-opened McNasty’s, which replaced the Zanzibar.
Artist’s impression by Snook Architects, Liverpool, of the water tower family home at Tower Hill, Ormskirk. West Lancashire(Image: Snook Architects, Liverpool, submitted to West Lancashire Council)
Neil also designed a Fulwood Park house which featured on the TV show Grand Designs. Neil said he won’t let his Ormskirk creation feature on Grand Designs.
A lift will be installed in one of the tower’s hollow legs, and eventually will carry Neil and his family to the penthouse. The house replaces the old metal water tank that once topped the sandstone pillars. Neil argues the sandstone structure will fare better when the weight it was designed to take is replaced.
Towards the top of the tower is a level that was once just below the tank. The sandstone walls have begun to lean, but Neil has poured 100 tonnes of concrete around the inside of the sandstone. The sandstone has then been bolted to the concrete to prevent it falling 56ft to the ground below.
Neil Dawson stands under Tower Hill Water Tower.(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Neil said: “When I came to see it, the guy said ‘You either buy it or you don’t, because we’ve had a lot of failed sales. You’re not seeing inside, you’re not coming on-site.’ I assumed there would be a staircase in the middle, but I didn’t know. When I cut the old steel plate that was covering it, I said ‘oh, thank God’.”
Neil said he isn’t putting too much pressure on himself to get the job done, but believes it will be completed in the next 12 to 18 months.