It was built when the words "property boom" had a very different meaning.

Martello Tower No. 55, which until 1940 came complete with a roof-mounted cannon, was one of 74 little forts dotted along the South Coast 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 desolate and empty on the shingle at Normans Bay, near Pevensey.

But not for long.

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

Next month it is going back under the hammer with a guide price of between £130,000 and £150,000.

Only 25 of the original strongholds are still standing and many have already been converted into homes.

Auctioneer James Emson said: "This is a really exciting project for the buyer."

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.

The three-storey tower will be auctioned at The Grand hotel in Brighton on April 7.

Plans to turn the redundant building into a home have been approved by Rother District Council.