The former coastguard tower in Littlehampton has been converted into an Airbnb - The Little LookoutThe former coastguard tower in Littlehampton has been converted into an Airbnb - The Little Lookout
The former coastguard tower in Littlehampton has been converted into an Airbnb - The Little Lookout

Former coastguard tower in Littlehampton converted into an Airbnb – in pictures

The renovation of the former coastguard tower in Littlehampton has been completed.

The historic tower, which sits directly on the seafront next to the harbour entrance, has been turned into an Airbnb.

Now known as The Little Lookout – it boasts incredible views from the third and fourth floor balconies, luxury interior, a walk-in shower and a full-sized bath tub looking out to the sea and river mouth.

Leila and Cal Leach, who live in Earnley, near the Witterings, bought the tower a couple of years ago, which had been left derelict for more than ten years.

They started renovating it in September last year and after some Covid-related delays, they finished the works last month and are now letting it out on Airbnb, as well as using it for personal stays.

All works were completed by their family business, Grey Tree Developments, headed up by Cal and a small team of men.

“We thought it would be really lovely to bring it back to life,” said Leila, 37.

“Cal loves a challenge. He had seen it come up a couple of times at auction over the last few years, but it was never the right time to buy it personally. Then it came up again so we went for it.

“We were really intrigued by the history of the tower and saw the potential and thought something like that was never going to come up again.”

The tower was built in 1931 and was used sometime during the Second World War as a lookout tower. There are also some rumours that link the tower to Ian Flemming while he wrote some of the James Bond books.

The space, which was an empty shell, has been cleverly split over four floors, with each floor accessed by the new addition of a spiral staircase extension. It sleeps up to four people and has been a popular choice for a couples getaway.

Leila said: “We have been inundated with interest. This month is already fully booked and nearly booked up for August. It feels really good and has absolutely validated our confidence in doing this kind of renovation in the area.”

The couple, who have two boys, Cassian, aged four, and Lowe, aged 11 months, have already received fantastic reviews.

Leila added: “Littlehampton has such a bad reputation and is definitely overlooked. But it has one of the best beaches – and to me, it is as lovely as West Wittering.”

Find out more about The Little Lookout on instagram: @thelittlelookout – or visit greytreedevelopments.com.

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