The edge of heaven
FOR SALE: The lighthouse cottages with truly divine views
WE DO l i ke to be beside t he seaside – so it comes as little surprise to learn that recent research by Halifax bank found that properties in some coastal areas have seen t heir values soar by as much as 30 per cent over the past ten years.
One unique property with spectacular sea views currently on the market is Leading Light at Great Castle Head on the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales.
The lighthouse, which was built in about 1870, is on the market for £495,000.
Three-quarters of the lighthouse building is surrounded by cliffs, with the rest looking inland over the headland. ‘The scenery changes every minute,’ says Kathy Gunner of Evans Roach, which is handling Leading Light’s sale. ‘ And there are gorgeous birds and seals. The sunsets are beautiful – they take your breath away.’
The lighthouse’s beacon, which was originally gas- powered but is now electric, is still in service but t he owners don’t need to worry about operating it as it is fully automated.
There is a parapet all the way around the building which, says Gunner, makes it feel as if you’re ‘walking around the end of a ship’.
Leading Light comes with nine acres of land and a landing jetty.
Inside, the cottages still boast original features, such as pine doors, built-in dressers and cupboards, and the original slate floor in the building’s long corridor.
The Grade II listed property is within the boundary of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, which has been rated by National Geographic Traveller magazine as one of the top two coastal destinations in the world (the other being the Avalon Peninsula in Canada). In
the 1960s, Leading Light was owned by Norman Crabtree, chairman of the Sheaffer Pen Corporation.
In the 1970s, the present owner’s father, who also worked for Sheaffer, visited for holidays every year. He fell in love with the place and had the opportunity to buy it and retire there in the 1980s.
The property overlooks Lindsway Bay, a large sandy beach which is only a few minutes’ walk away and accessed by a path and steps cut into the cliff.
Since Leading Light has been used as two separate dwellings in the past, half could be used as a home with the other half rented out for holiday lets – an attractive proposition given that the Wales Tourism Alliance has predicted a ‘Brexit bounce’, with increasing numbers of people deciding to take ‘staycations’.
However, the agents say that investment of time and money, as well as some vision, could make Leading Light even more special. Evans Roach, 01437 762516, evansroach.co.uk