Huge WW2 gun tower transformed into 3-bed home with cannons & stunning seaside views hits the market for a bargain sum
A GUN tower complete with cannons, a World War 2 engine room and stunning views has been put up for sale.
Located in Bawdsey, Suffolk, this three bedroom Grade II Listed historic home which is the best preserved of its kind in the UK, has one bathroom and offers 0.4 acres and comes with planning permission included for further renovation.
This incredible slice of history is located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Tower is designated a Grade II Listed Scheduled Monument.
It is understood that the Martello Towers take their name and structural design from Corsican buildings at Mortella.
Martello Tower W was built in 1809 and is one of only 17 on the east coast and it comes with a price tag of £450,000.
Historic England remarked that the quatrefoil gun-deck, complete with three vertical 18th century naval cannons, is the best preserved and most original of any Martello Tower they have seen.
The Tower was converted to residential use in the mid 1980s and has currently been taken back to its core ready for new refurbishment works.
Adjacent to the entrance gate of this property is a concrete store which was a former World War 2 engine shed, generating power for nearby coastal artillery searchlights.
Highlights of the home include a large open plan kitchen dining area, an aperture and stairs leading down to the ground floor, a former gun deck and a contemporary, zinc-roofed room.
Not to forget the open rooftop with 365 degree views out to sea and inland over fields towards Bawdsey.
The property has a private drainage system, as the septic tank is believed to drain into a drainage field so is likely to be compliant.
However, as part of the wider renovation works, the listing agent suggests a buyer may wish to budget to install a new sewage treatment plant.
The listing is held by Clarke and Simpson who commented on the property profile.
“Planning permission and historic listed building consent to refurbish the already converted early nineteenth century Martello Tower”, reads the listing.
“Permission for an expansive perimeter glazed, zinc roofed room on the former gun deck, a first floor open-plan kitchen living room, lower floor with bedroom, utility room, shower room and cloakroom, galvanised external stair with viewing platform looking south.
”You’ll also be in an exclusive club of four WW2 Martello Towers located nearby.
“Tower W is the south-most in a ‘club’ of four Martello Towers.
“To the north past the small WW2 lookout tower and freshwater reservoirs, are two closely spaced lower lying Towers, Y and Z, then Tower AA which stands before the row of houses known as Shingle Street”, reads the listing.
Converted fort
A fort built 200 years ago to protect the UK from a foreign invasion has been converted into a four-bed home went up for sale last year.
The Grade II listed property, complete with its original ammo store in the grounds, was priced at £1.5million.
High Beeches includes Fosterdown Fort, which was built in the late 19th century as part of the London Defence Positions to protect the capital from overseas attackers.
The four-bedroom property, near Caterham in Surrey, has an Airbnb annex and the historic fort, set in 7.5 acres of ancient woodland.
It boasts a number of rare features, including a three-roomed magazine used to store ammunition, including gun cartridges and shells.
It was one of 13 small polygonal forts built along a carefully surveyed area for a line of entrenchments which could be quickly excavated in an emergency.
The London Defence Positions were abandoned in about 1905 and the building was sold in 1920.
And for much of the 20th century it was used as a field study centre for school groups.
“Two of these towers, Y and AA, have also been converted and are occupied.
“The view then curls around to Orford, where Pinneys Oysterage – famous for their locally smoked fish, and the excellent Pump Street Bakery can be found.
“Orford church and the 12th century castle, clear on the horizon, then onto Orford Ness.
“Further north, the seaside towns of Aldeburgh and Southwold and Benjamin Britten’s renowned classical concert hall at Snape Maltings with a programme running throughout the year
“Bawdsey is a quiet village with a primary school, church and cricket club.
“The quay on the Deben estuary offers a wide variety of water sports, with the neighbouring village of Alderton having a village shop, medical centre and pub.”