Work has been completed to save a historic coastal watchtower after it was moved inland, brick by brick, to protect it from falling into the water.
The 189-year-old coastguard tower was relocated 100 metres over a two-year period to save it from coastal erosion.
The Grade II listed Compass Point Storm Tower, known as Pepperpot, sits on a clifftop near Bude and overlooks the Atlantic.
Work to move the tower from the cliff top to the interior began in early 2023 and has now been successfully completed. This is the second time the tower has been relocated.
A view of Compass Point, Bude, Cornwall, captured yesterday. The relocation of the tower has been completed after two years of work to move it brick by brick to stop it falling into the sea.
An aerial view of the tower shows how the historic building has been moved inland from its previous position closer to the cliff.
This photograph shows the building’s previous location on the cliff edge and its new inland position after two years of work to relocate it.
The tower was moved 100 metres inland in a lengthy project that involved moving it brick by brick.
Built from sandstone and slate in 1835, it has saved the lives of countless sailors over the past two centuries.
A Coast Guard cutter would sit inside during high tides and storms and use a flagpole to alert ships.
The tower was moved once before in 1881 for the same reason.
The structure, designed by George Wightwick, has eight sides that mark the points of a compass to ensure full visibility of the Atlantic.
Bude Tower pictured in May 2023 as scaffolding was put in place in preparation for it to be moved further inland to protect it from falling into the sea.
A map shows initial plans for relocating the historic tower.
Progress images taken while the work was being carried out show how the historic bricks were moved into the interior.
The tower is inspired by the Tower of the Winds in Athens, considered the first metrological station in the world.
The work was commissioned by Bude-Stratton Borough Council using a £249,362 Lottery Heritage Fund grant which was awarded to save the Grade II listed building.
Speaking to The Times as work began, Councillor Peter La Broy said: “Getting to the point where we would have contractors… ready to go seemed unimaginable at times.
‘At the first meeting about five years ago, when we started talking about saving our Storm Tower, there was serious doubt that we could even get the project off the ground.’
Sally Strachey Historic Conservation was contracted to carry out the work.
Work underway on site as the tower was being removed brick by brick and rebuilt on the new site further inland.
A view of the roof of the uniquely shaped octagonal tower shows the cardinal points from which the structure was designed.
There is a time capsule on site that reads: ‘The Compass Point Project Time Capsule. 1835, 1881, 2024.’
Photographs taken after the work was completed show the former site of the tower, where marks left on the ground can still be seen.
This is not the first time the 30-foot tower has been dismantled and reassembled.
In 1881, it was moved away from the cliff edge following a series of extreme weather conditions that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of locals.
The building is leased for a period of 500 years to Cornwall Council.
North Cornwall’s cliffs are among the worst affected by coastal erosion in the UK.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) says the surrounding cliffs could retreat by up to 40 metres over the next century.
Locals and tourists often walk past the historic tower that once stood on the cliff top with stunning sea views.
Engravings at the top of each side of the tower show which direction it faces.
The sandstone and slate building had previously been relocated in the late 19th century in a similar attempt to save it from coastal erosion.
Coastal erosion is a growing problem across Britain, leading to the demolition of dozens of homes on The Marrams, a picturesque stretch of cliffs in the town of Hemsby, Norfolk, in recent years.
Parts of Yorkshire and the Humber, Suffolk and East and West Sussex are also significantly affected by coastal erosion.
Everything about the Victorian tower remains original, except for the roof. When it was built, the tower was aligned with magnetic north, but as a result of polar drift, it is now seven degrees off.
It was originally built as a coastguard shelter and was funded by landowner Sir Thomas Acland.
(tags to translate)dailymail
