One of the last unconverted Martello towers on the South Coast has fetched £285,000 at auction.

The former Napoleonic Wars fortress at Norman's Bay, near Pevensey, had a guide price of £120,000 to £150,000.

But it attracted fierce bidding from up to 20 people who were eventually whittled down to two bidders for the last £60,000.

The eventual buyer, from East Sussex, plans to transform it into a residential property, work which experts said would cost a minimum of £80,000.

Martello Tower No 55, which until 1940 came complete with a roof-mounted cannon, was one of 74 forts dotted across Sussex and Kent to ward off Napoleon's forces in the early 19th Century.

The concrete turret, with its cannonball-proof walls, was designed to withstand the worst the French could fire at it.

Now it stands empty and completely unconverted. An attempt to sell No 55 and its neighbour ended in 1908 when it failed to reach the £500 reserve price.

James Emson, of Kent-based Clive Emson Auctioneers, said: "Two people really fell in love with the place and it ended up being a battle between those two.

"A total of 170 people looked round it and 30 people were given legal packs so interest was considerable to say the least.

"There was a regular flow of people who all obviously saw its potential. It has still got the gun turret on its roof and has fabulous panoramic sea views.

"It really is a blank canvas for this person who has bought it because it remains unconverted and could be converted for as little as £80,000."

Martello Tower No 55 already has planning permission for conversion into a residential property from Rother District Council.

The tower, built in 1808, was the scene of a bloody battle in 1819 between smugglers and the Coast Blockade Service, the precursor to Customs.

It was used to conduct experiments in wireless communication during the early 1900s and became the home of the Johnson Secret Wireless Telegraphy Syndicate.

It has been empty since the Second World War.