The Balkerne Water Tower or known as Jumbo as a term of endearment is a significant part of Colchester and the city’s rich history. The water tower was built in 1883 and is located opposite the Mercury Theatre in Colchester Town.

Jumbo provided water to Colchester during a key period, briefly after the Public Health Acts in 1872 and 1875, where councils were accountable and held responsible for public health in towns for the very first time. Jumbo did the job of providing a constant supply of water to 90% of the households. This had significance during a period where disease and contamination especially spread by water was common. Despite there being a few political debates and discussions about the cost of building this tower, around £11,138 was spent upon building and became operational in 1884. The nickname “Jumbo” is named after a baby African bull elephant- who grew huge in size after getting placed in the London Zoo and got the very nickname of Jumbo.

The Jumbo was functional for a century however was no longer part of the water supply system in 1980s and was decommissioned. From here onwards Jumbo became privately owned and for a few decades many owners would propose ideas that weren’t deemed appropriate for the tower. The Jumbo Project begun as people were certain that it has potential to be a major attraction for Colchester which demonstrates the heritage of the city.

The tower was at risk for 30 years and required a lot of work and major issues needed to be fixed before it could be developed and used by the community across Colchester. North Essex Heritage is working to accomplish a sustainable use of Jumbo, in December of 2021- they were able to sign a 150-year lease. The current aim to set up a commercially viable operation in which they are able to pay the upkeep once the tower is restored; with the plans of setting up a destination venue, restaurant and visitor experiences. As a resident in Colchester, I hope to see the Jumbo live on as a token of Colchester’s history.