Ruined 168-year-old gun tower with stunning sea views could be yours for £150k – but there's a big drawback | The Sun
A 168-YEAR-OLD gun tower with stunning sea views could be yours for just £150k – but there's a big drawback.
The historic military building defended the nation during the first and second World Wars, from the mouth of the River Thames in Kent.
And any prospective buyers will be rubbing their hands at owning such an iconic property.
Estate agents Savills are promoting it is a "a unique and peaceful position with far reaching sea and coastal views".
However, owning the historic gun tower comes with a catch for any potential owners.
The ex-army site is only accessible twice a day because of it's remote location.
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Owners and guests can access it when there is low tide via a causeway and will have to use a boat at any other time.
It is also around four-and-a-half miles from the nearest train station of Swale and would require a large amount of money to restore it to it's former glory.
The gun tower is the last of its kind to be built, constructed to protect the nearby military dockyards against French invasion.
Anglo-French tensions ran high in the 1850s and the nation feared a naval attack.
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Auctioneers expect the Martello tower-like building will fetch £150,000.
They added the property, on a spit of land between the River Thames and River Medway, "is a first."
The tower guarded the key link between the Thames and Medway rivers, which led to Royal Navy Dockyards in Sheerness and Chatham.
However, artillery technology quickly improved and the construction became obsolete in the mid-19th century, almost immediately after it was completed.
By the end of the century it was transformed into a defence against raids by fast torpedo boats.
Decades later it was altered again – new, quick firing guns were added during World War I and World War II.
The property off the Isle of Grain, built in 1855 was decommissioned in 1956 and will go under the hammer on September 20 this year.
Savills Auctions Director Jeremy Lamb said the sale is rare adding: "There is always excitement when unusual lots come along as they have a special power to capture the imagination.
"We've had water towers and military sea forts in our sales in the past, but this gun tower is a first.
"A blank canvas with heaps of history and phenomenal sea views, not to mention its coveted No. 1 the Thames address.
"Historically, rare lots like this have seen significant interest in our auctions.
"Last summer the hammer came down on Bull Sand Fort in the Humber Estuary at nearly 10 times guide price after attracting bids from around the world and the year before that we auctioned a water tower in Essex which has since received permission for residential use and a chance to design a once in a life time property."
A spokesperson described the potential buy as "atmospheric."
They said: "The tower occupies a unique and peaceful position with far reaching sea and coastal views. The village of Grain is approximately one mile to the west.
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"The tower is atmospheric internally with a series of rooms, exposed brick work and concrete.
"Of interest to developers and occupiers, the tower represents a unique opportunity with potential for alternative uses or development subject to the necessary consents."
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