Samantha and Tim Wright, a retired attorney and an automotive design engineer respectively, have spent the past decade transforming a historic coastal fortification in Folkestone, England, into a distinctive seaside residence. The building, originally constructed more than 200 years ago as a Martello tower to defend the U.K. against French naval attacks during the Napoleonic Wars, now serves as a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home with panoramic views of the English Channel and the distant northern coast of France.

The Wrights purchased the property in 2014 for approximately $665,000 from a private owner who had acquired it from the Ministry of Defence in the 1980s. At the time of purchase, the tower was filled with construction debris and unfinished renovations. Early occupants began converting the tower into a home but abandoned the effort due to ill health. The basic infrastructure—water, heating, gas—and partially completed rooms were in place, but much of the interior lacked finishing touches, and certain areas such as the third floor had ceilings as low as five feet, with window openings boarded up.

After clearing the property, the Wrights engaged Clague Architects to complete the renovation, with work commencing in May 2016. The design preserved many of the tower’s original features, including the arched brick roof, a central brick pillar intended to support a rooftop gun, and the circular stone gun platform, which now serves as the base for spiral stairs leading to an observation deck. The interior balances historical elements with modern living: the first floor houses bedrooms and bathrooms adorned with custom copper-clad doors and a copper-and-nickel bathtub, while the second floor was converted into an open-plan living area centered around the tower’s original brick pillar.

The couple began using the approximately 1,900-square-foot home by summer 2017, believing their project complete until the removal of scaffolding revealed significant water damage. Exposure to rainwater had compromised new paint and plaster, necessitating additional repairs. To address this, the Wrights installed a zinc band below the roofline, sandblasted and waterproofed the exterior brickwork, and added drainage trays above the windows. These measures extended the renovation timeline by two years and added roughly $60,000 to the overall cost.

Following a pandemic-related pause, the couple focused on landscaping and securing the grounds, installing a circular timber fence in 2022 and developing a garden over the next two years. The total investment in the project is estimated at around $1.3 million. Although the property has not been formally appraised recently, the Wrights noted that similar converted Martello towers in England have sold for upwards of $1.8 million, suggesting the value of their home may have appreciated.

Primarily residents of Leamington Spa, about 100 miles northwest of London, the Wrights spend roughly eight weeks annually at their Folkestone home, often hosting family and friends there. Despite the challenges encountered during the extensive renovation process, both remain enthusiastic about the tower’s unique combination of historical significance and commanding seaside views. “Even now when I look out at the views, it stuns me,” Tim Wright said, emphasizing the property’s exceptional vantage point along the English coast.