NAUTILUS, the first of a clutch of nautically inspired designer apartment buildings on the seafront at Westward Ho! in North Devon, appeared to have landed on the faded resort from another galaxy three years ago. Locals scoffed at the prices, its pitch for buyers from “away” and its chances of survival in a force 9 southwesterly. But it went on to win a design award and has kickstarted a whole new look for a place not previously renowned for architectural merit.
Westward Ho! was built in the mid-19th century as a bracing tourist resort, taking its name from Charles Kingsley’s locally set seafaring novel. The village’s trump card is its geography: it is sandwiched between two of the region’s prettiest fishing villages, Clovelly and Appledore, and boasts its own two-mile stretch of sandy beach and spectacular clifftop walks.
Not long ago it had declined into a holiday-camp village where your great-aunt Mavis owned a bungalow, definitely not a hot destination for City types loading up the 4x4 and heading west. “Tacky and seasonal” is how one estate agent described it. Over the past few years, however, the village has been gradually pepping up its image. Nassau Court, the second silver-and-white apartment block to be completed, has gone on sale this summer.
Cobalt, a controversial S-shaped, blue-rendered complex of 62 flats, is under construction.
The local council and community groups have launched a drive to improve amenities and jazz up the dreary promenade, and several stylish new eateries have opened. Among them is the Tea on the Green café, run by Dawn and Dennis Knight. With its seaside-retro decor and meticulous presentation, it’s hard to imagine it surviving in the Westward Ho! of yesteryear.
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The Knights chanced on Westward Ho!, fell in love with the location and gutted a decrepit tea-room to fulfil their long-held dream. “We just thought it was the perfect place to do what we wanted,” says Dennis, a former motorcycle instructor. “We wanted to achieve a sophisticated beach-hut look, and we’re really taken aback by how successful we’ve been.”
Nassau Court is the latest beneficiary of the council’s willingness to approve innovative design projects. Situated on the rocks, it looks the full length of the sands towards the surf havens of Croyde and Saunton. Nassau Court’s developers saw investor prices rocketing in neighbouring Appledore. “We felt it was Westward Ho!’s turn,” says Steven Sherry, its designer. “The place had got into such a state that you could afford to buy things, demolish them and rebuild.”
Along the promenade, Nautilus’s 28 flats are aimed firmly at the holiday market. A couple of two-bedroom flats are for sale for £295,000 — £50,000 more than at the launch. The building has a wave-shaped green copper roof, and won a RIBA award for its architect, Guy Greenfield. “When he came to us with an outline, we said, ‘ You’ve got no chance’,” says Graham Wood, at the estate agent Webbers in Bideford. “But the council said they were trying to get away from the down-at-heel Victorian seaside town and went along with it.”
Westward Ho! has not been one of the area’s second-home hot spots, but resentment towards outsiders persists. Giant graffiti appeared earlier this year on the Cobalt site alluding to “rich second-home owners”, but its developers, who contribute about £750,000 towards affordable housing, have since had them painted over with colourful murals.
Nassau Court’s developers regard holiday lets as a good way of bringing much-needed money into the area, but felt there was also a market for permanent residents; hence the huge, light-filled communal corridors, generous balconies and high build quality. The 28 luxury flats vary in design and size; higher up, you feel that you’re on the bridge of a ship. Ground-floor two and three-bed flats are mostly £375,000
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— £90,000 more than the off-plan price of a year ago — while duplexes start at £450,000. The two penthouses, not yet released, are expected to be priced at about £575,000.
Prices in the area more than doubled in the four years to 2004, Webbers reports, though they have tailed off since. “When you start selling apartments in Westward Ho! at £300,000 for holiday use, there’s clearly a market for the upper end,” says Graham Wood. “It’s trying to move upmarket from the bucket-and-spade image. Every time a holiday park has closed down, it’s gone to good-quality housing and that’s given trade to the village throughout the year. We’ve had people ringing up asking where the nearest Michelin-starred restaurant is, so it only needs one of these chefs off the television to turn up, and who knows?”
Nassau Court is being sold via Stags, 01271 322833, www.stags.co.uk and www.nassaucourt.co.uk;
Webbers has some apartments for sale at Nautilus: 01237 472344, www.webbers.co.uk