Napoleonic fort in Guernsey sold for £1m

Fort Richmond was erected in 1855

A 200-year-old fort in Guernsey that was used by occupying Nazis in World War Two has been sold for £1m, half the original asking price.

Fort Richmond was originally built in the Napoleonic era to discourage invasion, but the barracks as it appears today was built in 1855.

Originally government-owned, the site has been bought by a private company after almost four years on the market.

Planning permission has been granted to turn it into a private residence.

Fort Richmond, overlooking Vazon Bay, is a designated protected monument

The fort is the last remaining Victorian barrack on the island and a designated protected monument.

The exterior and interior of the building - as well as the moat and artillery casement - are protected because of their historic significance.

But large sections of the site are excluded from protection, including the "barrack block, guardhouse, artillery store, shifting room, former WCs and the courtyard", according to the planning permission approval granted in May.

A request for the installation of a swimming pool has been denied because of an "absence of evidence" to show it would be an "enhancement" the monument.

A building dating from the Nazi occupation is at the fort

Cash generated by selling government-owned property is used to help fund building projects or extending state-run facilities such as schools.

A spokesman for Guernsey's Property Services department said that all "special elements" of the building were protected and that the project would "inevitably" create opportunities for local businesses.