Build your own Bond villain's lair with the best views in Guernsey
The Lookout is a former flour mill that is aching to be turned into one of the country's most iconic homes.
Journalism is all about asking questions. Ask the right questions, and you will receive the right answers. And if you receive the right answer, then the story will write itself. Naturally, when presented with an old 19th century mill, you should ask the following question: ‘What should I do with this if I bought it?’. The answer, hopefully, would be: ‘Turn it into a cool, very Bond-villain-esque cliffside home.’ That would be my answer, anyway.
It seems I am not alone. The Lookout, which is up for sale with Savills for £2.95 million, is already halfway there. The mill itself has already gone under extensive renovation, and is ready for the next steps in its evolution.
Formerly known as Vale Mill, the Lookout was originally built from wood in 1770, before being rebuilt in 1854 in granite. It operated as a flour mill until the pesky Germans occupied the island in 1940, whereupon they used it as an observation tower (hence, The Lookout). It was purchased by James Ridout’s father in 2008, and James has been restoring the site ever since.
Not a bad view from which to attempt world domination.
‘It’s taken a lot of hard work and perseverance to get to this point — and it’s not been without its challenges — but we’re now in a position where we feel the mill and surrounding site are ready to be taken to the next stage,’ James says. ‘There’s nothing like it on the island. It’s a one-of-a-kind property and the views from the top of the tower are beyond compare. They’re the best in Guernsey. You can see out to sea for miles around.’
In 2020, James secured planning permission for a four-bedroom house, featuring a kitchen/dining area, utility room, and breakfast room, as well as a substantial basement extension that would cantilever out over the adjoining quarry. Surely you would need an underground tunnel of some kind to connect the two? Don’t worry, it’s already been planned. Very Blowfeld-esque.
Even better news is that the property is available through Guernsey’s open market, which means it’s available to purchase by anyone with a British passport or right to reside in the UK. That means you, yes you, can live here.
The proposed basement extension and cantilever, which runs out onto the quarry lake.
Naturally, there is still work to be done. While permission has been granted to create this lair from which to ransom world leaders/fire missiles/perform experiments on hapless British agents/raise a family, you still need to build it. But that’s the easy part.
