Perfect pad for a James Bond villain! Offshore gun tower with the original artillery could be yours… for £0.07M
- The former gun tower is in Pembrokeshire, on the south west coast of Wales
- It was built in 1851 to defend The Royal Dockyard and requires renovating
- The property is Grade II listed and comes with an asking price of £70,000
Refurbished forts can be listed for millions of pounds, and so property hunters may be excited to hear about a renovation project on the south west coast of Wales.
The former gun tower is in Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire and is on the market for £70,000.
The property was built in 1851 to defend The Royal Dockyard and needs a complete overhaul.
It extends up three levels and still houses the original roof guns mounted on traversing platforms.
The former gun tower is in Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, and is on the market for £70,000
That’s quite an approach! The Grade II listed building is accessed via a long walkway
The Grade II listed tower has substantial curved walls that are 13 metres high and up to 2.7 metres thick in some parts.
It is accessed via a long walkway built on land owned by the Crown Estate, which would be leased for an annual ‘peppercorn’ rent, according to John Francis, the estate agent handling the sale.
The agent explained that while the tower was manned in the mid-nineteenth century by the military forces, it never fired a shot in anger in defence of the dockyard and was eventually disarmed in 1882.
Although it was disarmed of its original military power, the tower continued to serve as a military fortress in World War I and II.
The tower was disarmed in 1882, but still has the original guns on the roof
The tower has a unique shape with substantial curved walls measuring 13 metres high
It was an observation post in World War I and manned by the RAF Regiment in World War II, when it was used as machine gun position hosting three twin lewis guns in brick compounds.
South Pembrokeshire District Council acquired the Tower in 1975 and it was refurbished in the mid-90s, becoming The Gun Tower Museum operated by The Pembroke Dock Museum Trust until 2017.
Change of ownership: South Pembrokeshire District Council acquired the Tower in 1975
The interior needs refurbishing, but could be turned into a home or commercial venture
Original features: The roof guns are mounted on traversing platforms
Buying agent Henry Pryor said: ‘Ideal perhaps for Captain Pugwash or some aspiring James Bond villain this property has what estate agents describe as ‘bags of potential’.’
However, he added: ‘No mains drainage means you either need a compost loo or restricted swimming around the base but there is mains water and electricity.
‘The lucky buyer will need to get planning permission to convert it into a home but I expect that there will still be commercial ventures that would relish the chance to set up shop here.
‘With a guide price of ‘over £70,000’ I expect that this will eventually sell for more than twice that.
‘Someone wanting to convert it will spend two or three hundred thousand and hope to have a half million pound property at the end of it.’
Experts suggest that the tower could sell for more than twice the £70,000 asking price
The interior extends up three levels and needs a complete overhaul to make it habitable
A family home? Any changes to the property will require planning permission
It follows a historic naval fort in the Solent going on the market last year for an eye-watering £5million.
The fort between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight was refurbished in 2012 into a nine-bedroom boutique hotel boasting a wine cave, sun deck, fire pit and restaurant.
Separately, this renovated fort in the Solent was put on the market last year for £5m
The £5m fort was was refurbished in 2012 into a nine-bedroom boutique hotel