Colchester: North Essex Heritage gifted a reminder of the tower's past

Nicholas Everett, great, great, great-grandson of Henry Everett, whose son Henry John founded H. Everett & Sons, builders of Hythe Hill, has given North Essex Heritage a copy of the priced estimate to build Jumbo.

The historic document was produced for the Borough Council, with the original estimate being £7,699.

Visit - (left to right) - Nicholas Everett, his daughter Kerry Robarts, grandson Jenson, 9, his wife Solveig and son-in-law Mike Robarts are pictured at the Jumbo (Image: North Essex Heritage)

Copy - Nicholas Everett with the price estimate for the tower (Image: North Essex Heritage)

H. Everett & Sons revised this to £7,499, which was accepted before the firm built the tower, which remains a landmark after 140 years.

The total cost of Jumbo was eventually £11,138.

The water tower is being leased by North Essex Heritage in an effort to produce a commercially viable facility which pays for the building’s upkeep.

North Essex Heritage was previously given £250,000 development funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to work on its plans to restore the building.

During a previous visit to the site, Mr Everett said: “It was a privilege to tour Jumbo and reflect on my forbears’ impressive work.

“I hope North Essex Heritage’s Jumbo Project is successful in restoring this building and bringing it back into sustainable use.”