Rusting away in the corner of a field, it doesn't exactly look like a bijou des-res.

Eastern Daily Press: Dennis Pedersen is converting a water tower in Castle Acre into his new home. Picture: Matthew Usher.Dennis Pedersen is converting a water tower in Castle Acre into his new home. Picture: Matthew Usher. (Image: © ARCHANT NORFOLK 2016)

While the structure was expected to sell for scrap, London-based photographer Dennis Pedersen snapped it up two years ago to turn it into a house instead.

'I've always been looking at water towers since watching the Jetsons on TV,' he said. 'Then this turned up on an auction site.' When Mr Pedersen and his partner Misia Godebska first saw the steel tower, built in 1952, they weren't impressed. Then they discovered the nearby village with its pub within walking distance, along with its castle, priory and church. After winning the auction, the couple spent two years obtaining planning permission for a change of use. Villagers were invited to an open day to give their views on the plans, drawn up by archetect Tonkin Liu.

'It's ex-military, someone said it was shipped off an RAF base somewhere,' said Mr Pedersen, 57.

'The tank will be the main living room and kitchen. It's 12mm steel, inside the tank, it's almost like a Meccano set.

'The north side will be all glass, then we're going to hand cross-laminated timber off the top all the way round, it's literally not going to touch the ground.'

While he declines to say what he paid for it, Mr Pedersen plans to spend £350,000 converting the structure. A separate tower will be built around a spiral staircase, with glass bridges connecting it to the four-storey property.

It will have a biomass boiler and woodburner, with a ribbon window in the top floor giving panoramic views across the Brecks and Nar Valley.

Mr Pedersen expects work to be completed by the end of next year.

For the best homes for sale across East Anglia, see the 60-page property supplement in today's EDP.