A TRAVELLER lives off-grid in a railway carriage with an ex-sewage treatment tank – and he even has his own indoor lake.
Reuben Leveridge’s bonkers property is in the quiet village of Sea Palling on the north Norfolk Coast.
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He created a family home for his two children out of a restored Victorian train carriage blending his Romany roots and a fixed abode.
The timber structure, made from driftwood found on the nearby beach after storms, forms a living area and large veranda.
The bedrooms and kitchen can also be found in the 27ft 1890s third class railway carriage.
The self-professed ‘Eco-Gypsy’ explained: “An old boy was living in it with his family when they knocked his house down.
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“I then purchased it and brought it over here and I’m doing the same thing.”
Their electricity comes from solar and wind power and heating is provided by a wood burner.
The family also harvests rainwater for drinking and all of the furniture is second-hand.
Reuben undertook the project himself and didn’t have a set budget.
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He said: “85 per cent of everything here is ‘stolen’, skips or washed up on the beach. Only joking – not stolen!”
Reuben then turned his attention to converting a disused 1950s water-sewage treatment plant.
The site of his house was previously owned by Anglian Water and featured the structure.
The low, circular brick building can be accessed via a hobbit door and includes a communal area.
Reuben calls his creation the uni-dome and it has a central pool with overflow from the gutters creating a water-feature.
He said: “In here is the self-support and roundhouse roof. This was a nice project to do.
“When the weather is really bad, you get the wood burner lit and it’s a lovely space to hang out in.”
As Reuben’s grandfather once said: “A true Romany adapts to the situation they are in.”
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