Clarenco, (amazing retreats in spectacular locations), has purchased of two more Sea Forts in the Solent to its property portfolio of unusual and iconic buildings; No Man’s Land Fort and Horse Sand Fort. These two larger forts listed as ancient monuments will join their smaller ‘brother’ Spitbank Fort, which was bought by Clarenco in 2009 and has recently undergone a £3m restoration, to form a trio of Forts. ‘Solent Forts’, a specialised arm of Clarenco will provide memorable and upmarket corporate events and special occasions in truly unique and historic settings. This is the first time the forts have had a sole owner.
No Man’s Land Fort is over 35,000 sq ft - three times the size of Spitbank Fort, and was converted into a luxury hotel in the 1990’s. Working with English Heritage, Clarenco will carefully restore it to its former glory with plans to develop 30 bedrooms, an indoor swimming pool, games & billiards room and several meeting and dining spaces. Planning has also been approved for a helipad and a marina/harbour area.
Horse Sand Fort boasts a colourful history having been built between 1865 and 1880 to defend Portsmouth from the French and is almost an exact replica of No Man’s Land Fort, with multiple floors fully armour plated with 15 ft thick walls all round. Clarenco will transform Horse Sand Fort into a unique time capsule museum showcasing the artefacts and history of the three forts.
Mike Clare, Founder and President of Dreams and now owner of Clarenco is the sole private investor into Solent Forts. He comments, “This is a momentous day for us. Having recently invested over £3 million transforming Spitbank Fort into an exclusive venue we felt we couldn’t miss the exciting and rare opportunity to add both No Man’s Land and Horse Sand Fort to our diverse portfolio of amazing retreats. The three forts will complement each other perfectly and offer something magical and unique that other venues can only dream of. Solent Forts will create employment in the local area, generate an increase in tourism and will really put the Solent and the surrounding areas on the UK tourism map. “
All three forts are situated in the Solent between Portsmouth Harbour and Seaview on the Isle of Wight. Guests will reach the Solent Forts by Clarenco’s own flotilla of boats from the Royal Clarence Marina in Gosport – Solent Forts’ private departure lounge.
For more information on Solent Forts please visit www.solentforts.com
For more information on any of the Clarenco properties visit www.clarenco.com
