No Man's Fort: Everything we know about legendary Solent fort which is back on market with leasehold and freehold options

The fort, which sits prominently in the Solent, was commissioned by former British prime minister Lord Palmerston for £462,500 to act as a sea defence.

The sturdy building has 15ft granite walls and armour plating and it was owned by the Royal Navy until the 1980’s were it was sold to a number of different private companies before being converted into a luxury hotel.

In 2015, it reopened following an extensive renovation where it operated as a four-star boutique hotel equipped with a restaurant, event spaces, 23 bedrooms, hot tubs, a sauna and a nightclub.

The multi-million pound fort closed in 2020 and went on the market with an initial price tag of £4.5m.

Located between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, the site obtained planning permission to be re-purposed as a private home under the condition that this was completed within three years.

After being on sale for over four years, and losing its planning permission, No Man’s Fort finally went under the hammer alongside Spitbank Fort with Savills last June for a meagre £1.25m.

Purchased by Londoner, Edward Ward, as an ‘impulse buy’, the fort ‘diversified’ the current owners investment portfolio which primarily consists of tech stocks.

He previously said he knew ‘it’s a bit of a risk, given I don’t have any experience in property or hospitality, but with advances in technology like drones and improved energy management, maintaining the fort will only get easier over the next decade.’

Colliers then confirmed that the owner was looking for a new tenant to operate the fort and provide a fresh vision for the quirky site. The previous listing said that Edward was open to working with ‘multiple operators who recognise the opportunity to be based at this historic site.’

Most recently, No Man’s Fort has now re-entered the market with both freehold and leasehold listings after no takers stepped forward to take on the site under a tenancy agreement.

The current Colliers listing says: “No Man’s Fort offers a huge amount of space. Containing 23 ensuite bedrooms, crew quarters, multiple bars and restaurants and a number of multi-purpose rooms, No Man’s Fort offers a ready made venue or huge scope for conversion.

“It also comes with the benefit of a helipad in place and 2 landing stages for visitors by sea.”

Mr Ward is now open to exploring both sale options with the freehold guide price set at offers over £1.5m and leasehold offers are also being welcomed.

The 99,000 square foot fort spans four floors and comes with over £1m worth of fixtures, fittings and machinery.

For more information about No Man’s Fort, click here.