Pree-sent bids! 1840s barracks up for auction
AFORMER military barracks in Pembrokeshire could be yours for a mere £850,500. That figure might seem a lot but the Defensible Barracks first appeared on the market in June for a hefty £1.2m.
Now just four months later its price tag has been slashed in a bid to sell it.
The Grade II-listed building, in Pembroke Dock, comes with its own workshop, a detached unit intended for use as a coffee shop and is even surrounded by a moat.
The fort was constructed in the 1840s to house an army garrison as part of land defences for the dockyard.
The site covers about 4.45 acres and is up for auction with John Pye Auctions at a guide price of £850,500.
The fort is entered through a north gatehouse, complete with holes for muskets and winches for the former sliding drawbridge.
Once into the 140-foot central parade ground, the size, scope and potential of this historic building becomes clear.
This central courtyard is surrounded by a quad-shaped two-storey building. These remaining unconverted sections of the fort were once the barrack rooms.
Most of the barracks’ battlements remain, as do a number of outbuildings.
These external structures that stand within the outer wall include a former detention room, cellblock and a fire-engine shed.
There is also a basement under the main fort building, formerly used for equipment and ammunition storage, which also has scope for development.
According to the website British Listed Buildings, construction on the fort began in 1841 and was completed by 1846, with an estimated build cost of £75,000.
The fort was declared the second most endangered Victorian or Edwardian building in England and Wales in 2009, before it went on the market for £350,000 in 2010, reflecting its derelict state.
It’s up for auction over Wednesday, November 21, and Thursday, November 22, and you can find out more about it by viewing the property online.