Reach for the skies from your own control tower: former WWII air force base in Essex is now a secluded Grade II-listed four-bedroom home
If you've every dreamed of ruling the skies from your living room, this home on a former Second World War airbase could be just the thing.
Aptly named The Control Tower, the brick and concrete building, which opened in 1943 and was used by the US air force, has been described as the "best preserved Second World War airbase in Essex".
Three miles north-east of Saffron Walden, the house is on the former Little Walden airfield, from where the 409th Bombardment Group flew missions to support the US Third Army as it advanced from France into Germany. After the war, it was used to store military surplus before closing in 1958.
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The current owners bought the building in 2002 and have created a contemporary home with all mod cons, while remaining sympathetic to its original purpose and design.
Being a control tower, it has commanding views of the surrounding countryside, which was why the main living area and the master bedroom were sited on the first floor.
The open-plan living room is fitted with bespoke rosewood cupboards, including integrated storage for a television and loudspeakers. The open-plan kitchen on the same floor has rosewood units and Corian work surfaces and a stainless steel breakfast bar.
A door from the dining area leads on to a wraparound terrace, while a metal staircase leads from there to the flat roof.
The master bedroom, also featuring birchwood flooring, not only has an en suite shower room, but a walk-in wardrobe, and the bedroom area has windows on two sides.
Downstairs is an impressive entrance hall with a skylight to the kitchen, and there are three further bedrooms and a bathroom, as well as family room that leads on to the garden, which has a large decked area screened by a curved wall, ideal for entertaining. A lawned area leads to an outbuilding, equipped with power and water, and an attached workshop.
The four-bedroom home is for sale through TuckerGardner for £775,000.