Littlehampton’s historic coastguard tower is now an Airbnb property you can stay in – come and take a tour with us

A focal point of Littlehampton’s busy seafront, it was an underutilised resource.

That was until property developers Leila and Cal Leach spotted it up for sale in 2019, and bought it, starting the process of bringing this Littlehampton icon back to life.

They purchased the tower back in 2019, and spent two years restoring it, and adding an extension at the back to house a spiral staircase, allowing access to all four floors.

It went onto holiday rental website Airbnb in June, 2021, rebranded as The Little Lookout. Since then it has been booked up by travellers and locals alike, all of whom getting to enjoy a bird’s eye view of Littlehampton’s sandy beaches and a front-row seat to seafront life and the river mouth.

The tower features four rooms, one on each floor, and despite its compact size it manages to feel bright and airy.

HAVE YOU READ? Sussex weather: Here is where it will snow today

As you enter the property, a spiral steel staircase greets you, and on the left is the kitchen. Each floor has views out over the beach and the seaside, and some, like the kitchen and living room, have views on one or both sides.

The next floor houses a sleek and modern bathroom, where guests can take a bath while watching the waves roll in. The second floor houses the property’s bedroom, complete with balcony, while the top floor houses the living and dining space, where the sofa can also become a sofa-bed, as well as another balcony.

It’s a pretty unique property, and it was great fun to see how the couple had used the limited space so wisely to allow room for a family of up to four to enjoy a break there.

Even on the mean, moody and rainy day I visited, it felt like a real cosy haven. It’s the perfect place to sit with a cuppa and watch the weather pass.

When Leila and Cal took on the project, the building was completely derelict, with most of the inside unsalvageable. The only original feature is the vaulted roof and exposed beams in the living room, which gives it height and brightness, making it feel quite spacious.

But while the finished project is a modern holiday-goer’s dream, the restoration was far from plain sailing. Leila said: “After we’d got planning agreed, there were quite tight restrictions on the development.

"Because of the location, right on the seafront, the work had to be done out-of-season, which was hard going on all the builders in the cold.

"Plus, it was right in the middle of Covid, so that was an extra challenge.”

MORE STORIES: The Original Factory Shop's Rustington manager is going to jail – all in the name of charity

Decision due on new Littlehampton beach huts

When the property was finished, it was rented out solidly for a whole year. Leila said demand is still high, and people are always curious to see how it now looks.

Leila and Cal, who live in Earnley, near Chichester, run development company Grey Tree Developments, and have developed multiple properties over the years.

The first ever project they took on was a houseboat in Chichester Marina, but Leila said The Coastguard Tower is still their quirkiest-ever development.

She added: “My husband had spotted it up for auction a few years earlier, but we didn’t get it then, but it always stuck with him. He saw it again in 2019, and he knew we had to have it.

"We love Littlehampton, we love the beach, and it was just a location we really wanted to work in and be a part of. There is so much here, from beaches for families, great food offering, windsurfing and more. Plus, it has great links to London and we knew that would appeal, and Arundel, which is beautiful, is only 10 minutes down the road.”

The tower was built in 1931 and was used sometime during the Second World War as a lookout tower. There are also some rumours that link the tower to Ian Fleming while he wrote some of the James Bond books.

Find out more about The Little Lookout on Instagram: @thelittlelookout – or visit greytreedevelopments.com