Historic buildings are a prominent link to our past and an historic building restoration can keep historic landmarks part of the community. Revitalizing these structures makes for one-of-a-kind homes.

I am lucky enough to have a great view of a historic windmill from my bedroom window. At night it has this green light that lights up the sky and in the morning when the sun rises it is set against a beautiful backdrop. I am so pleased this historic building restoration has been done.

This historic building has recently come on the market. For a cool £1.25 million you can have your very own piece of history. It's one of Kenilworth's most distinctive buildings and is expected to attract interest from local and national buyers.

The historic building restoration is one of only a handful of converted windmills in the country and has played host to guests from all over the world who are fascinated by its architecture.

The Water Tower was originally constructed as a windmill in the mid 18th century by Joseph Lee and John Lamb of Warwick. It was converted into a Water Tower in 1885 following the introduction of steam power.

The tower continued to provide most of Kenilworth's water supply until 1939 and was in use until around 1964. In 1970 Kenilworth District Council was anxious to ensure the preservation of such an important and historic landmark and offered it for sale on the condition that it should be sympathetically restored and converted for use as a private dwelling.

Leamington architect Edward Bryon converted the tower over a two-year period from 1972 to 1974 and his imaginative conversion includes a ground floor extension cleverly designed to blend in with the character of this historic building restoration.

In 1975 the property won an Architectural Heritage Award from the United Kingdom Council for European Architectural Heritage, signed by HRH Duke of Edinburgh and to be passed on to the new owners.

The six-storey, four-bedroom tower includes a large private sun terrace from the master bedroom which also has an en-suite. The tower also boasts lovely gardens, a study, calm open-plan top floor eyrie and a double garage...find out more here.

Historic building restoration

Heritage is all around us - from buildings, street patterns, parks and gardens to buried remains. Anyone embarking on developing a historic building takes on large responsibilities, including assessing the archaeological effects of development, devising and implementing mitigation strategies, preserving sites and structures of national importance, recording historic buildings and excavating significant archaeological sites. English Heritage and local councils will not pay for archaeological work, though they will have a role in ensuring it is carried out to a high standard.

Having a full understanding of the site and the full implications of proposed changes on the historic environment will put the developer at an advantage in negotiations, simplify application procedures and ensure a more satisfactory and cost-effective scheme. Good relationships between sectors in project teams, from initial planning to topping out, will make projects run more smoothly.

You will need to discuss plans for development with the planning authority at an early stage. Conservation officers are important at every stage when listed buildings or historic areas are affected. There should be someone on the development team who has a full grasp of all the heritage issues as unexpected discoveries can cause delays, increase costs through redesign and lead to rental / sale losses.

You many also need specialist tradesmen to help with the project. If you are looking for tradesmen let us know or search on JuggleFrogs for tradesmen in your local area.

Funding for historic building restoration

Grants for the repair and regeneration of historic buildings and areas can come from a variety of sources. English Heritage may be able to assist so it's worth contacting the relevant English Heritage regional office for further advice.

Other bodies such as Architectural Heritage Fund and Regeneration through Heritage (run by the Princes Foundation) provide advice on how to apply for funds to return neglected historic buildings to sustainable community use. Local authorities also have discretionary powers to grant aid repairs. Major funds may be accessed through Single Regeneration Budgets, and the Heritage Lottery Fund may be a source of capital and revenue grants for an historic building restoration.

The recycling of existing land and buildings is an important part of the national strategy for achieving sustainable development. The government requires 60% of development to be built on brownfield sites, many of which have historic value. Local planning authorities are being encouraged not to release new land until potential brownfield sites are used. For more advice on historic building restoration visit English Heritage website.