So, who lives in a house like this?

Guy Ruddy is the man behind the decades-long transformation - and it’s been far from easy.

“There’s definitely more maintenance with a 200-year-old building than a new-build, but then you’ve got more character, more peace - and where else am I going to get that view?” he says.

As you approach, the 10-metre high cylindrical structure with walls up to four metres thick appears as solid as when it was first built to repel Napoleon’s forces.

Today, only 43 Martello towers remain in England, most of which are empty or crumbling, but a select few have found a new lease of life.

Back in 1987, Guy was working as a surveyor for the local council, which had put the tower up for sale.

The unusual project piqued his interest, and with so few of the towers remaining, the opportunity seemed unlikely to come round again. So he placed his winning bid of £23,333.

“In part of the documentation, it said you can turn it into a house, a nightclub, various things and being a surveyor, I drew up the plans and put them into the council - I was young, naive and perhaps a little bit stupid,” he says.

“I mean, when I came into this, there was no floor, no electricity or water. It hadn’t been lived in since 1850.

“I wanted three windows downstairs, a door and roof as well as all the other works to turn it into a house.

“So I got approval, and at the bottom it said ‘P.S. contact English Heritage’. I didn’t even know who they were at the time.

“Regardless, I filed in all the forms and sent the application off. I was young and keen to get this project going as quickly as possible.”

Although Shepway Council - as Folkestone and Hythe District Council was then known - was quick to give the green light, approval from English Heritage proved to be a much tougher task.

Guy, now 62, says: “Every week, I rang them up saying, ‘Have I got my approval?’ A year later, I got a letter saying they’d received it, and another year later, they replied, ‘You can’t convert it, and you can’t live in it.’”

What followed was a gruelling battle through appeals before an eventual High Court appearance for defacing an ancient monument after Guy, in an act of desperation, took a pneumatic drill to the tower to begin installing a window.

It came after he had spent more than three years living in limbo, with all his savings tied up in the tower and no permission to live or build in it.

He found himself stuck sleeping inside on a sheet of plywood and even approached the council to buy the property back from him at the price he paid.

“One day, I got a tap on the shoulder, and a High Court writ was placed in my hand for defacing an ancient monument,” he says.

“So I very quickly got a solicitor, a barrister, and I was off to London the next day.

“I basically was told on one hand I was a very naughty boy and got a £7,000 fine, but on the other hand, the judge turned around and said this chap has put all his money into this and you must let him live in it.

“So I submitted a new application to reinstate all the holes I’d put through and for the rest of the conversion. It was roughly five years to the day when I actually got permission to start work.”

By 2002, the tower was livable. Ten years later, he had completed work to the roof, which now serves as a lounge area with its 32 windows offering incredible panoramic views.

Boasting three bedrooms, it is now a fully functioning modern home.

“I guess I’ve always been one of those people who sort of swam against the tide and liked to do things differently,” the project manager adds.

“I just thought it would probably be as easy to do this as a normal house. Well, I was wrong. Everything must be done meticulously and designed differently.

“It took a lot of time. I wasn’t a rich person and a lot of the work I’ve done myself.

“I guess I was forced into a situation where, for a time, it seemed there was no way out.

“But I think that sort of thing makes you stronger. Sometimes, you have to go through a bit of adversity. It’s been a real labour of love.”

The home is split over three circular floors - its deathly quiet and pitch black lowest floor in stark contrast to the roof space, where the sun, sea and stars are in full view.

Yet it isn’t without its drawbacks. Ongoing maintenance requires the additional hurdle of passing the relevant guidelines for a Grade II*-listed building.

And then there’s the road outside. A total of seven vehicles smashed through his wooden fence in as many years.

Guy jokingly posted on Facebook offering tea to anyone who could predict the date of the next crash in a sweepstake.

Little did he know the post would go viral, reaching as far as China, America and Australia, as well as national media coverage.

He says: “Honestly, it was mad because I had three or four accidents and another about three months later.

“I jokingly put a post up saying there had been another crash and if anyone can predict the next accident they can come round for tea.

“I had thousands of responses from all over, and about six months later, it happened, so this woman from Lydd came down and there we were.”

Luckily, there hasn’t been another accident since.

“Touch wood,” he adds.

But despite all the trials and tribulations, would Guy do it again?

Down the road in Dymchurch Beach car park another Martello tower is undergoing a conversion to a holiday let - and the people behind this project have faced setbacks too.

Guy says: “Financially, I’m in a good place and it’s worth a lot of money now, so that stands me in good stead.

“But there was a lot of grief, a lot of sadness. So maybe I’d do it again if I were a bit more intelligent.

“In the 80s, you could buy an Oast House, an old barn, a Martello tower for relatively small money, whereas now you’re probably looking at £350,000 to £400,000 for one in good condition, and that’s without construction costs.

“It’s just not an option for youngsters anymore.

“I guess you have to fall in love with it, and I did.”

Guy feels now is the time for a new challenge and is preparing to sell the tower.

“I haven’t got a clue where I’ll end up next, but I need something quirky,” he says.

“I don’t need a folly, but I’d love to do one more project. I don’t know what that might be, but I’d like something I could put my own spin on.

“I just fancy a change. I may well be sitting here in a year because it’s got to be something that will get my juices flowing.

“I’ve looked at train tunnels, sewers, water towers, but these types of buildings are becoming less and less.

“I just need a project. I can’t live here forever.”