Historic island where Sir Francis Drake set sail for sale again

By Tom Bevan

A historic six-acre island fortress where Sir Francis Drake set sail to circumnavigate the globe has been put up for sale.

Drake's Island, a 16th century fortress off the coast of Plymouth, Devon, England features a series of underground tunnels and was bought for £6 million (more than $8 million) by property developer Morgan Phillips back in 2019.

At the time Phillips said he would restore the island to enable visitors to enjoy it and has been running boat trips to it ever since.

But he has now confirmed after a failed sales process in 2024 it was back on the market and he said he was looking for someone to buy the island or partner with him to "take it forward."

Commercial property experts Carter Jonas have been brought in to seek a purchaser or investor.

Meanwhile, tours of the 6.4-acre island have been put on ice pending safety inspections.

Phillips, managing director of Plymouth Sound Properties Ltd, said there had already been interest from potential buyers or investors.

He added: "We have continued the process of looking at ways of moving the Island forward to full development. We are working with several groups to try and achieve this.

"We tried the sales approach previously, which produced a lot of interest but we did not manage to lock anyone down.

"We thought we would try this approach again, to see if we can identify anyone interested in purchasing the Island, who is also capable of taking it forward or partnering with us or funding us."

Phillips also confirmed tours had been suspended at present for extensive risk assessments to be completed, which was a requirement of the insurers.

Formerly known as St. Nicholas Island, its strategic position on the approach to Sutton Harbour, the Cattewater, Hamoaze and dockyard led to Drake's Island being fortified from at least the 16th century. Military use continued until after World War II.

From 1963 to 1989 Plymouth City Council obtained a lease from the Crown and operated a youth adventure training center on the island.

The Crown sold it in 1995 to former Plymouth Argyle chairman Dan McCauley, founder of Devon engineering firm Rotolok.

A large proportion of the island is a designated Scheduled Ancient Monument and a group of four principal buildings are Grade II listed. The remains and fortifications, and its prominent location, make it a heritage site of national importance.

Drake's Island has significant wildlife interest and is located within the Plymouth Sound and Estuaries Special Area of Conservation.

In 2017 planning permission was granted to turn the Grade II listed Island House, barracks and ablution blocks into a hotel.

It had been on the market for some time and has now been snapped up by property developer Morgan Phillips.

He previously said: "I'm under no illusions that the people of Plymouth regard Drake's Island as the jewel in the city's crown and they want to enjoy it as soon as they possibly can.

"Indeed, we want the island to be open to the public as often as possible."