Real Estate Crunch Hits Lighthouse Sales
By Sue Clark on Dec 1, 2008 in Lighthouses For Sale 
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Price Dropped On Hunstanton Lighthouse
Apparently it’s hard to sell a lighthouse in these tough economic times also. Hunstanton Lighthouse in Norfolk, UK, which went on the market a year ago for the lowly price of £695,000, has been slashed to a mere £499,000 in recent days. That’s only $739,478 USD, folks. And what do you get for the money? A completely rebuilt seaside home that had become so neglected in the 1950s it was used by seaside squatters until it was acquired by the town of Hunstanton in 1964. The lighthouse is no longer in use as an aid to navigation and has been dark since 1922. But you definitely can’t beat the view.
View Comes With A Problem
Perhaps one of the main reasons it hasn’t sold, though, is the proximity of the home to the crumbling cliffs. So much crumbling that the lighthouse is in danger of tumbling down the side and into the sea. Maybe. There’s a lot of uncertainty about what might happen, but it’s a risk a potential buyer may have to take. Of course, moving the home is an option, but that will come with a high price tag.
It’s certainly a different market now than when it was bought by its current owner within one hour of the For Sale sign going up back in the mid nineties. And the current owner has invested a lot of money into the home to make it a special vacation hideaway. Four bedrooms, a stone walled garden, a sitting lounge on the second floor and ample parking.
According to the story at EDP24, the current owner, Bip Weatherall, is a former 1960s rock star, who is best known for the chart topping August 1962 hit Telstar. Wow, that takes me back many years. Many, many years. But looking on Wikipedia and a few other sites, I can’t find any mention of him being a member of any band. I did find one reference to him replacing someone in The Tornadoes, but it was well after their one hit.
Anyway, the lighthouse is still listed with Martin Estate Agents, with pictures and floor plans if you want to take a look.
Photo Credit: Hunstanton Lighthouse by Xavier de Jauréguiberry. Some rights reserved.
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