Forts for sale often attract attention due their relatively low asking prices and huge potential for redevelopment.
Thankfully, someone has completed all of the hard work at this beautifully renovated tower in Suffolk.
While on the outside, it may look like nothing more than a circular block of uninspiring concrete, the interior reveals an award-winning conversion, carried out in 2010.
However, there’s a price tag to match the completed renovation. Today, the three-bedroom property – called Martello Tower Y – is on the market for an impressive £1.25million.
Food for ‘fort’? This converted home in Suffolk is housed in a tower dating back to the early 19th century
The conversion of the early 19th century tower was undertaken by architects Piercy & Company, in collaboration with Billings Jackson Design. It won an award from the Royal Institute of British Architects.
The property has an unusual looking entrance, via a metal staircase that leads up to the first floor of the tower.
On that floor, there is an entrance hall and a living room with a wood-burning stove.
The property is entered via a metal staircase that leads up to the first floor of the tower
The top floor of the fort has been converted into a living area leading onto a terrace
The main living area includes a dining table and kitchen with tiled flooring
The isolated fort is on the market with an asking price of £1.25million
But is it perhaps the second floor at the top of the building, which is the most impressive.
The generous living area includes a curved kitchen and a dining area that leads onto an outdoor terrace with extensive views of the sea.
The bespoke kitchen follows the curved contours of the building and is flooded with light
The design has won an award from the Royal Institute of British Architects
The top floor of the property has a large terrace for entertaining outside
The ground floor has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and two study spaces.
Light is brought into this area through the use of light wells cut through the brick.
The property is in the quiet and secluded village of Bawdsey, 10 miles from the popular Suffolk market town of Woodbridge.
Local amenities include a bustling farmers market on the second Saturday of every month.
There is a train station at Woodbridge that runs services into London Liverpool Street, with the journey taking around 1 hour and 45 mins.
The interior reveals an award-winning conversion, which was carried out in 2010
The conversion was undertaken by architects Piercy & Company, in collaboration with Billings Jackson Design
The curved property extends across three levels with the main living area on the top floor
The dramatic tower includes a camera obscura in one of the three bedrooms
The tower is currently let as a holiday home and includes a camera obscura in one of the bedrooms.
A camera obscura is a darkened box with a convex lens for projecting the image of the sea onto a screen inside.
The property is in the village of Bawdsey, 10 miles from the market town of Woodbridge
There is a wood-burning stove at the property with space to store plenty of logs
There is currently a curved sofa that fits with the unique shaped of the walls
The average price of a property in Bawdsey, Suffolk, is £385,730, according to property website Zoopla.
It compares to the average price of a property in Britain of £301,848.
Laura Howard, of Zoopla, said: ‘Strikingly unique, beautifully finished and offering total privacy, this converted early 19th Century Martello tower on the Suffolk coast could be a dream property for many buyers.
‘What was once built as a defensive fort during the time of the French revolution has been transformed into a remarkable three-bedroom home, with stunning 360 degree views of the sea and surrounding countryside.
‘For the £1.25million price tag, you’ll also get a mass of special features including a high-tech curving roof and even a camera obscura fitted into one of the bedrooms that reflects the seascape on to the walls.’