Fancy living in a former foghorn station on the Yorkshire coast?

Its romantic name evokes its past as a cornerstone of maritime history - and now Hornblower Lodge near Whitby is up for sale.

The property is locally famous because of the remains of the now-decommissioned foghorns that sit on its roof, where they were once used as a warning system for passing ships.

Priced at £525,000, the house has amazing sea views, a disused swimming pool, paddocks and a large garden, as well as two holiday cottages.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hornblower Lodge, which is currently owned by the Evans family, stands on a 200ft cliff, and served as Whitby's official foghorn station until 1988. It has been a private house since 1992.

It was first built as a lighthouse in 1858, before being converted in 1900. The two foghorns are 20ft long and 8ft high, and during foggy weather, would emit four blasts in a 90-second period.

Due to quirks in the sound velocity, residents of Whitby, which is two miles away from the village of Hawsker, would only hear the first blast when the third was being sounded.

Despite objections to the noise pollution in Victorian times, by the 1980s they had become embedded in local tradition and their passing was mourned.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Operators Trinity House decommissioned them in 1988, when satellite technology superseded sea charts, meaning the horns were unnecessary.

Hornblower Lodge has a kitchen/dining room, snug sitting room and three bedrooms, and there is also a one-bedroom annexe and a one-bedroom cottage, both currently used as holiday lets.

Owner John Evans, 50, and his wife are now selling up. The couple ran a pharmacy in Middlesborough before buying the dream home in 2007.

Read more:-