Bembridge Harbour up for sale
The Mary Rose sank trying to save Bembridge from the French
SALE: Bembridge Harbour, the only sheltered natural harbour on the east coast of the Isle of Wight, has been put up for sale. Real estate advisers Vail Williams LLP is acting for the administrators, RSM Tenon.
Bembridge Harbour has played a key part in the history of the Solent ever since it was a port for the Romans. Today it’s extremely popular with sailors and tourists, providing around 600 berths on pontoons and buoyed moorings.
In 1545 the French navy invaded Bembridge and burnt the village, prompting the English fleet to leave Portsmouth intending to defend the Isle of Wight. The Mary Rose was one of the ships leaving Portsmouth and she didn’t travel far before she sank, which led the English navy to retreat, leaving Bembridge to burn. The French left Bembridge shortly afterwards.
Bembridge Harbour covers land and water space totalling over 150 acres. The property and business are for sale as a going concern, and will include the transfer of Statutory Harbour Authority Powers. The Harbour has 380 directly managed moorings in Bembridge Marina on three floating pontoons and on up to 108 buoyed trot moorings which are used during the summer season. The harbour pontoons maintain a minimum depth of at least one metre at low water and the harbour is accessible for about two and a half hours either side of high water.
The harbour office and workshops on the Duver peninsular, including berth holders' showers, a toilet block and office or shop premises, are included in the sale. Land and buildings around Bembridge Marina and holdings along Embankment Road include an area set aside for depositing material dredged from the harbour.
“Bembridge Harbour is in a very attractive location and is hugely popular in the marine leisure community both as a base and as a place to visit,” said Ian Froome of Vail Williams LLP. “With good facilities and an established business, the harbour is a valuable investment opportunity.”
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