Drake's Island fortress off Plymouth coast put up for sale for £6m

Site includes pier and underground network of tunnels

The island is named after Sir Francis Drake (Jones Lang Lasalle)

An historic fortress island in Plymouth has gone on sale with a guide price of £6m.

The six-acre site includes an extensive network of underground tunnels, a pier and the remains of Tudor fortifications.

Drake’s Island was named after Elizabethan sea captain Sir Francis Drake who set sail from its shores in 1577 to circumnavigate the globe.

The site was also targeted by French and Spanish explorers in the late 16th century.

The island was named after Sir Francis Drake. (Jones Lang Lasalle)

It lies 600m offshore in Plymouth Sound and has been a prison, a religious centre and a refuge at various points in its history.

“My dad, Dan McCauley, bought the island in the 1990s,” said Aidan McCauley of Rotolok, the owner of the island.

“As the previous chairman of Plymouth Argyle Football Club, he has a close affinity with the city and has long-held a vision to see the island brought back into use.”

“As a family and as a company, we are passionate about seeing his vision turned into a reality and are exploring all options to make this happen.”

The site also has planning permission for a luxury hotel and spa, which includes conversion of existing buildings.

The island is 600m off Plymouth’s coast (Jones Lang Lasalle)

“Drake’s Island is a remarkable piece of British history,” said John Kinsey from property agent JLL.

“It has long been the owners’ priority to bring the island back into sustainable use for the benefit of visitors, local residents and the wider economy.”

“With the added attraction of planning permission for a luxury hotel and spa this is a unique opportunity to lead one of the South West’s most exciting and unusual developments. But of course, that’s only one permitted approach”.

“Now being sold freehold, it means the future is wide open for this historic island.”