The team here at PipeRepair.co.uk see our fair share of water infrastructure. And never have we looked at a water pumping station and thought it would make a great Airbnb.
Unlike Tyler Richards and his partner Megan Mullen-Knight from Worcestershire. They purchased a former water pumping station in Trimpley near Kidderminster for £55,000 at auction in May 2022.
£50,000 worth of renovations later and they have turned the neglected concrete structure into a luxurious countryside getaway.
Guests travel from the other side of the country, paying upwards of £200 per night to stay in a building which once housed thousands of litres of water.
The facility had been part of the Severn Trent network. When it reached the end of its lifespan, they opted to decommission rather than attempt underground water pumping station repair to keep it operational.
A builder by trade, Mr Richards spotted a unique opportunity. Working alongside his father, Darren, they set about transforming the two floored, 3.5m x 2.5m space. Once they had finished making structural changes, it was over to Ms Mullen-Knight to furnish the inside.
The upstairs control room is now a stylish living space with kitchen and bathroom. Downstairs used to be a tank holding thousands of tonnes of water and pipe infrastructure. Now it is home to a bedroom complete with an underground cinema.
Thick concrete walls were removed from the tank. In their place came French doors, opening up from the bedroom to a picturesque outdoors area with stunning, unobstructed views over the Warwickshire countryside.
This outdoor area even includes a hot tub; a nice link back to the pumping station’s past. Not that anyone would have put on their swimming shorts and dived into the water tank before it was repurposed. At least we hope not…
Speaking to The Shuttle about the unusual rennovation project, Mr Richards said: “I only live a few minutes down the road and I was driving along one day when I saw this place and wondered what on earth it was.”
“So I jumped the fence and went and had a look at it. I instantly saw it had potential as a possible property mainly because of the stunning views up there.”
“I showed it to my dad and he thought the same. We had a look online to see how much it was being auctioned for. And We sort of just fell in love with the place. Even though it was this neglected Severn Trent building.”
“When we got inside, it was dirty, damp and dark. We knew we had one hell of a job on our hands. But Megan has an amazing eye and we had this vision for it, which we determined to make a reality.”
The pumping station has since become national news after featuring on Channel 4 series George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces
Clarke was impressed, describing the transformation as “off-the-scale brilliant” with a “serious wow factor” during the episode.
Want to see for yourself? The Water Pumping Station can be booked via Airbnb.
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