A private island retreat on the market for a staggering £3m has been branded a Welsh Alcatraz by holidaymakers who say: ‘You’d have to pay me to live there’.
Thorne Island in the mouth of Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire lay derelict for 18 years until tech millionaire Mike Conner stepped in almost a decade ago.
Conner, 50, splashed out £500,000 on the two-acre island and the Napoleonic fort that sits on top, then spent another couple of million doing it up.
But after completing the job Conner is looking for a new project and hoping there’s an eccentric recluse out there who thinks £3m is a drop in the ocean.
Locals are full of admiration for the conversion job on the Grade II listed building less than half-a-mile offshore from the quaint seaside village of Angle.
But holidaymakers on the village’s wide sandy beach are not so sure.
Father-of-four Dave Griffin, 57, from Birmingham said: ‘When I heard it was for sale I walked along the coast path to have a look – it reminded me of Alcatraz.
‘It would suit a recluse, but it’s not for me and the wife, she’d miss shopping and I’d miss the pub.’
But Mike Conner’s dream of turning the rocky outcrop into the ultimate party island means it does have a bar, with astonishing sea views.
When he moved in Conner was forever posting pictures of the amazing sunsets to the West of the island.
But the views to the East aren’t quite as breathtaking, the island’s nearest neighbour of note is the ugly Pembroke Refinery, described by owners Valero as one of the largest and most complex refineries in Western Europe.
It means there’s a steady stream of giant oil and LPG tankers being guided into Milford Haven by the port’s fleet of tugboats.
‘You’d have to pay me to live there,’ said holidaymaker Sharon Roberts, 46, from Merseyside. ‘It looks quite foreboding and inhospitable to me.
‘I’d go and visit for the day, especially if it’s got a pub, but I wouldn’t want to live there. You’d be too cut off.’
The fort was built in the 1850s to protect Milford Haven’s military installations from a French invasion. It was sold by the Government in 1932 and converted into a hotel after the war.
It became a virtual ruin until Conner saw it for sale on a YouTube video in 2017 and stepped in to save it.
The fort now boasts five luxury en-suite bedrooms, living room, dining room, a swish new kitchen with snug and all rooms have sea views.
There were plans to link the island to the mainland by cable car, increasing the fort’s potential as a luxury, get away-from-it-all hotel.
But for now it can only be accessed by sea or by helicopter and when a Force 10 is blowing off the Irish Sea, neither methods are practical.
Holidaymaker Stu Smith, 50, of Worcester, said: ‘Three million pounds, you could buy Wales for that! Joking aside, it’s a hell lot a lot of money for a property you can probably only use for four months a year.
‘And you’d have to spend another couple of million on a helicopter. But it will appeal to someone, I hope they find a new owner.’
Whoever buys the island will still have to pay rates, even though there’s no amenities, rubbish collection or street lights.
And if it does become a hotel, guests will be clobbered by the tourism tax being introduced by the cash-strapped Welsh Government.
A local builder, who knows current owner Mike Conner and wanted to remain anonymous, said: ‘I have nothing but admiration for what he’s done to bring the island back to life.
‘He’s done a fantastic job, it’s a shame that he’s decided to sell not long after all the work’s been done. It’s worth £3m, let’s hope someone comes in to buy it.’
