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The owner of No Man’s Fort in The Solent is seeking a tenant to take over the lease that could be operated as a hotel.
The venue was most recently a four-star hotel and was acquired by Londoner Edward Ward for £1.25m earlier this year at auction.
It is only accessible by boat or helicopter and offers 23 bedrooms, five bars, a restaurant, a spa, hot tubs, and a sauna, all with expansive views of the sea.
The 99,000-square-foot sea fortress was built in the 1860s as part of a network of defences commissioned by Lord Palmerston to ward off potential French invasion.
Commercial real estate firm Colliers has been appointed to find a tenant to bring a fresh vision to the property, which last operated as a hotel.
Ward said: It’s a one-of-a-kind property, and I felt like it’s an opportunity that’s unlikely to come up again. I know it’s a bit of a risk, given I don’t have any experience in property or hospitality, but with advances in technology like drones and improved energy management, maintaining the fort will only get easier over the next decade.”
Ed Jefferson, from Colliers Hotels team, added: “The remote location provides either great privacy or exclusivity for potential guests and clients. Edward is open to working with different multiple operators who recognise the opportunity to be based at this historic site. It could be a great location for multiple hospitality and leisure operators together, or one tenant could take the whole site, we’re open to proposals.”
