A beachfront Victorian fortress for sale on Alderney that could be in the Caribbean

For much of the early 19th century, the Channel Islands were considered key to Britain's security — and Alderney in particular. The northernmost of the islands, eight miles from France and 60 miles from the English coast, even Napoleon considered it the key to invasion. Forts and other fortifications were erected on the island — and elsewhere on the Channel Islands — in the mid-to-late 19th century by as part of Lord Palmerston's defence initiative, and among the most striking is Château à l'Etoc (or Château l'Etoc), on the very northern tip of the island.

L'Etoc's days as a fort are long behind it, though, and today it's up for sale as a magnificent coastal property, full of potential, with an asking price of £3.75 million through Harding Green.

The fort has a wonderful setting, atop a peninsula that juts out with the English Channel on three sides, and it caught the eye of man long before the 19th century: the site was a Neolithic burial ground dating from about 4,300BC.

Sadly, when the fort was constructed in the 1850s, sappers uncovered burial chambers, human remains and pottery, much of which was reportedly thrown over the ramparts into the sea.

Built with 23 guns and accommodation for 128 soldiers, it was inspected by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1854. By the 1930s, it seemed as if its days of strategic importance were long gone, and it was sold to Vera and Charles Kay-Mouat in 1935.

Sadly, the fort's military history didn't end there. During the Second World War, the occupying Germans came to Château l'Etoc and added gun emplacements, reinforced bunkers and searchlights to the site.

Thankfully, after the War, the house was returned to its current owners, who have kept it in the family ever since, and who have a lovely history of the place on their website. It's been used as everything from an event space to holiday flats, as reported in Country Life back in 1967.

The same Country Life article — which dealt with all the forts of Alderney — noted that l'Etoc's original 1850s fortifications 'were obsolete before they were even finished', and added that, 'the only scars that any of the stonework bears, apart from those of age, are the wounds caused by Germans, practising gun fire from their own heavily-functional island fortifications.'

After over 90 years in the Kay-Mouat family the property is now on the market, and it's full of potential. Selling agent Pollyanna Hunter of Harding & Green believes that Château L’Etoc offers significant potential for commercial use, such as corporate gatherings, weddings and cultural events. ‘Its scale, seclusion and authenticity make it a one-of-a-kind venue for those seeking to combine privacy, creativity and legacy,’ she says.

The fact that it's set amid some spectacular scenery — the blue seas, the craggy rocks, and the wide open spaces of Arch Beach, Corblets Beach and Saye Beach — must also make it appealing. Alderney might not be easy to get to

For those wondering if it's subject to the same 'local market' or 'open market' restrictions in place on Jersey or Guernsey, the answer is apparently that it is not. As part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, Alderney offers a similarly favourable fiscal environment, but without the restrictions on property purchases as is the case on those other islands.

Château L’Etoc is on the market for £3.75 million — see more details.