Race to rescue Bude’s Pepperpot lookout tower from being swept into the sea

The 188-year-old coastguard's tower in Cornwall is to be moved 100m inland to save it from coastal erosion

Perched on an exposed clifftop above the Atlantic, which gnaws ominously at the sandstone and shale foundations below, Bude storm tower in Cornwall has helped to save many mariners from strife over the past two centuries. But now this cherished coastguard's lookout is to be rescued itself.

The 188-year-old Grade II-listed tower at Compass Point, affectionately known as the Pepperpot, will be carefully deconstructed and rebuilt 100 metres inland later this month to avoid its otherwise inevitable loss over the cliffs to coastal erosion.