Work to save coastal watchtower completed after two years: 188-year-old building moved inland stone by stone for the SECOND time in its history to prevent it from collapsing into the sea

Work to save a historic coastal lookout tower has been completed, with the tower being moved inland, stone by stone, to prevent it from falling into the water.

The 189-year-old Coast Guard tower was moved 100 meters in two years to protect it from coastal erosion.

The Compass Point Storm Tower, a Grade II listed building, stands on a cliff near Bude, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

The move of the tower inland from the cliff top began in early 2023 and has now been successfully completed. This is the second time the tower has been moved.

View of Compass Point, Bude, Cornwall, captured yesterday. The relocation of the tower has been completed after a two-year effort to move it stone by stone to prevent it falling into the sea

A drone shot of the tower shows how the historic building has been moved inland from its previous position closer to the cliff

This photo shows the building’s previous location on the cliff edge and its newer, inland position after two years of work to move it

The tower was moved 100 metres inland in a long-term project that saw it moved brick by brick

Built in 1835 from sandstone and shale, it has saved the lives of countless sailors over the past two centuries.

During high tides and storms, a coast guard was on the ship, which warned the ships with a flagpole.

For the same reason, the tower was moved once before in 1881.

The structure, designed by George Wightwick, has eight sides that represent the cardinal directions of a compass, ensuring a full view of the Atlantic Ocean.

Bude Tower photographed in May 2023 as scaffolding was erected in preparation for its move further inland to prevent the tower falling into the sea

A map shows the first plans for the relocation of the historic tower

Progress photos taken during the work show how the historic stones were moved inland

The tower is closely related to the Tower of the Winds in Athens, which is considered the world’s first metro station.

The work was contracted out by Bude-Stratton Borough Council with the help of a Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £249,362, which was awarded to save the Grade II listed building.

When work first began, councillor Peter La Broy told The Times: ‘It sometimes seemed unthinkable that we would ever have contractors ready to start.

“When we first met five years ago and started talking about saving our Storm Tower, there was a lot of doubt about whether we could get the project off the ground.”

Sally Strachey Historic Conservation was commissioned to carry out the work.

Work is underway at the site as the tower is removed brick by brick and rebuilt at its new location further inland

A view of the ceiling of the uniquely shaped octagonal tower shows the cardinal directions from which the structure was designed

A time capsule at the site reads: ‘The Compass Point Project Time Capsule. 1835, 1881, 2024.’

Photos taken after the work was completed show the tower’s previous location, where remaining markings on the ground can still be seen

It is not the first time that the 9-meter-high tower has been taken apart and reassembled.

In 1881, the site was moved from the edge of a cliff after severe weather conditions killed hundreds of residents.

The building is leased to Cornwall Council for 500 years.

The cliffs of North Cornwall are among the cliffs in the UK worst affected by coastal erosion.

According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the cliffs in the area could sink by as much as 40 metres over the next century.

Locals and tourists often walk past the historic tower that used to stand on the cliff and offered beautiful views of the sea

Engravings at the top of each side of the tower show which direction it faces

The sandstone and shale building was previously moved in the late 19th century in a similar attempt to protect it from coastal erosion

Coastal erosion is a growing problem in Britain, with dozens of homes being demolished in recent years in The Marrams, a picturesque stretch of cliffs in the Norfolk town of Hemsby.

Parts of Yorkshire and the Humber, Suffolk and East and West Sussex are also suffering significantly from coastal erosion.

Everything in the Victorian tower is original, except the roof. When the tower was first built it was aligned to magnetic north, but due to pole shift it is now seven degrees off north.

It was originally built as a coastguard refuge and was paid for by landowner Sir Thomas Acland.