The 'joy and despair' of owning a threatened tower

Michelle Nye-Browne's mother, Rosemary, bought the Naze Tower for £50,000 in 1996

While Michelle Nye-Browne admires the unspoilt views of north-east Essex from the Naze Tower, she feels a tinge of sadness.

The panoramic viewpoint takes in the ports of Felixstowe and Harwich, Hamford Water, and turbines out in the North Sea.

But the reality is one day that view from 86ft (26m) high may be no more.

About 2m (6.56ft) of Walton-on-the-Naze's sandy clifftops are being lost to the sea every year due to the ferocity of the waves.

Rosemary Nye-Browne saved the tower, which sits on The Naze promontory, when she bought it for £50,000 in 1996.

Now, her daughter, Michelle, says they are once again fighting to protect it for future generations.

The Naze Tower was originally built in 1720 as a shipping aid

"For me, the view is slightly tainted and sad because the cliffs are going," she says.

"The reality is a lot of land is still going in the sea; it's dramatic and it does make me quite sad."

In 2011, a £1.2m project to install a 110m (361ft) Crag Walk was completed to help protect the Naze.

Using more than 16,000 tonnes of granite rock, it protected the stretch of cliffs in line with the tower, which at the time was 50m (164ft) from the cliff edge.

However, land outside of the concrete safety cordon remains vulnerable.

"I do think the Crag Walk needs extending. It's just protecting the tower but all the land next to us is going to be going right back," Ms Nye-Browne adds.

"The Naze Protection Society is very keen to do that but it will come down to money."

'Eccentric idea'

The group estimates building a similar sea defence today would cost double the price, at £2.4m, due to rising construction costs.

It would not be the first battle the Nye-Browne family has taken on since successfully steering the tower off Historic England's Heritage at Risk register.

Crag Walk protects the base of the sandy cliff in front of the Naze Tower

Visitors to the Naze also enjoy hunting for fossilised shark teeth on the beach, and the Essex Wildlife Trust has a visitor centre and reserve there

The tower was originally built in 1720 as a shipping aid and later became a radar station for the RAF during World War Two.

It subsequently fell into disrepair and was only taken on by Rosemary Nye-Browne, now aged 81, as an "eccentric idea" when its previous owner struggled to sell it.

The initial plan was to convert the landmark into a house, but the family soon realised its beauty was best shared with the community.

Climbing its 111 steps on a daily basis was also not an ideal prospect, Michelle Nye-Browne adds.

"I grew up in Walton-on-the-Naze and always thought it was really sad you couldn't go up the tower," the 51-year-old says.

"It was like Rapunzel's tower; we always wanted to go up it and so when the opportunity came we had to go for it."

Visitors to the tower are able to explore its extensive history via the museum inside

After purchasing the building, the family spent years restoring it and securing planning permission to run it as a tourist attraction.

They are celebrating 20 years of being open to the public.

'The most special thing'

"The view is so stunning and we thought we should really share it with people rather than keeping it private," Ms Nye-Browne continues.

"Running the tower has been challenging but fun, and very rewarding - mainly because so many people love the Naze and the tower.

"I think it's such a special place and I just feel like the tower and the landscape are in a really interesting conversation with each other; they are perfectly suited."

The Naze Tower was used as a radar station when the east coast of Britain was under threat of German bombing

Between the wars, The Naze was home to a nine-hole golf course, but the land around the tower now serves as a nature reserve

Ms Nye-Browne says the view continues to take her breath away, especially after climbing the spiralling staircase to the top.

It is why she vows to keep on fighting to protect its future.

"I'm really pleased we've played a part in stopping it going into the sea and keeping it open for 20 years," she adds.

"Bringing an old building back to life and giving it a purpose has been the most special thing to do."