Thorne Island, a Grade II* listed coastal fort built in the 1850s as part of the defences of Milford Haven, has been placed on the market for £3 million by Plotfinder.
Once a military stronghold guarding one of Britain’s largest natural harbours, the island later became a hotel before being converted into a family home.
Covering 2.49 acres, it provides restored living accommodation and self-sufficient energy systems in a highly secluded location, offering an ambitious housing project to those looking to renovate a house.
A military past with shifting uses
Constructed between 1852 and 1854, the fortress was one of a dozen designed to protect Pembroke Dock as part of “Palmerston’s Haven defences.”
After leaving military service, it became a hotel during the 20th century and eventually a private residence.
Few homes carry such a layered past – shifting from a Victorian naval stronghold to a place of leisure and now a self-sufficient family home – making Thorne Island unlike any other property on the market.
Living on a self-sufficient island
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The fort now provides over 8,000sqft of accommodation, including five bedrooms, a large reception and dining hall, a kitchen with sea views, and a lookout converted into a glass-fronted office.
Courtyards, vaulted ceilings and exposed brickwork sit alongside more modern additions such as a rooftop bar, lawned terraces and moorings.
Extensive work has made the property fully off-grid, with solar panels, rainwater harvesting, battery storage, and an air source heat pump providing sustainable heating.
How can you buy the former fortress?
Currently registered as both a family home and a hotel, the island offers scope for private or commercial use.
Thorne Island is offered for sale by private treaty at a guide price of £3 million.
Full particulars and details, as well as details on thousands of other properties and building plots, are now available on Plotfinder.
