Restored Victorian fortress off West Angle Bay offers buyers a slice of Pembrokeshire history – for a cool £3 million

ONE of Pembrokeshire’s most striking and unusual landmarks, the Victorian fort on Thorne Island, has been put up for sale – and it could be yours for offers in excess of £3 million.

The Grade II* listed stronghold sits half a mile off the golden sands of West Angle Bay, commanding dramatic 360-degree views over the Milford Haven Waterway. Steeped in military history, it was built in the 1850s by more than 1,000 workers to guard against a feared French invasion during the reign of Napoleon III.

A fortress born from fear

The fort was part of a chain of defences known as Palmerston’s Forts, commissioned after a government commission concluded that the deep, sheltered harbour of Milford Haven was vulnerable to attack. With walls several feet thick, gun emplacements, and space for a 100-strong garrison, Thorne Island was designed to be impregnable.

Although it never fired a shot in anger, it became a familiar sight to generations of fishermen, sailors and beachgoers. After its military life ended, it was transformed into an unlikely hotel and, later, a private residence.

From ruin to luxury hideaway

By the time tech entrepreneur Mike Conner bought the island in 2017, the once-proud fort had fallen into disrepair. Acquired for around £500,000, it then underwent a painstaking decade-long restoration costing some £2 million.

Today, the fortress offers around 8,000 square feet of high-spec living space, blending original stonework and arched windows with modern comforts. It boasts five bedrooms – three with en suites – an open-plan kitchen and snug, and sweeping views from every room.

A rooftop bar and games area crown the structure, offering the kind of sunset panorama you simply can’t get on the mainland.

Off-grid and self-sufficient

Reaching Thorne Island is part of the adventure: visitors arrive by boat or helicopter. Once there, the property is entirely self-sufficient, with solar panels feeding a 100 kWh battery bank, air-source heat pumps with underfloor heating, a 250,000-litre rainwater harvesting system, and a state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant.

There’s even a 10-metre crane for unloading supplies from boats – making it possible to stock up without braving the tides.

A playground for the imaginative

The sale is being handled by Knight Frank, who suggest the fort could serve as an ultra-private family retreat, a boutique hotel, or even a base for creative projects. With Pembrokeshire’s tourism trade booming and Milford Haven’s waters attracting increasing maritime traffic, its potential is as vast as the views.

Locals, however, will see it as more than a curiosity for wealthy buyers – it’s a piece of the county’s heritage, one that has stood watch over the Haven for more than 160 years.

For now, the tide of ownership is about to turn again. Whether its next chapter is one of public hospitality or private seclusion remains to be seen – but one thing is certain: Thorne Island’s walls will keep on watching the horizon.