LOVELL HOMES is inviting Haverfordwest property seekers to attend their
Assisted Move event at its Augustus Grange development on Saturday May 9, with a focus on the Helping Hands and Part Exchange schemes designed to make moving easier.

Augustus Grange, located off St David’s Road, is a mixed-tenure development delivered in
partnership with Codi, offering a collection of two and three-bedroom homes in a well-connected location close to Haverfordwest town centre and the Pembrokeshire coastline.

Taking place from 10am to 5pm, the event will focus on practical guidance around Helping Hands and Part Exchange, giving visitors a clearer understanding of how they can move forward with confidence.

Visitors will be able to explore the development, tour the showhomes and speak directly with the sales team about the homes currently available.

Deb of ABP Mortgages will also be in attendance throughout the day, offering free, independent mortgage advice tailored to individual circumstances. Heather from The New Homes Group (TNHG) will also be available via telephone to provide guidance, helping buyers understand the practical steps involved in securing their new home.

Lovell Homes’ Helping Hands and Part Exchange schemes are both designed to remove some of the most common barriers associated with moving home. Through Helping Hands, buyers can receive support with the marketing and sale of their existing property, helping to make the process feel more manageable. With Part Exchange, Lovell can act as a guaranteed buyer for a customer’s current home, helping them avoid property chains, reduce uncertainty and move more quickly.
Suzie Hewitt, regional sales director at Lovell Homes, said: “We understand that selling an existing home can often be one of the biggest challenges for buyers. Events like this are an opportunity to show how schemes such as Helping Hands and Part Exchange can simplify that process and give people more confidence in their move.

“By bringing together our sales team and independent advisers, we’re able to support buyers with both the practical and financial aspects of their purchase, helping them to move forward with clarity.”

To find out more visit, https://newhomes.lovell.co.uk/developments/augustus-grange-haverfordwest/ or call 01437 468027. The marketing suite is open Monday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm.

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.