Iconic Devon island taken off the market

The iconic Burgh Island has been taken off the market, after being put up for sale just a few months ago. 

The owner Giles Fuchs put the island up for sale in May for £15 million, which includes a Grade II-listed art deco hotel with links to Agatha Christie. 

Having bought the island in 2018 for £8.4 million, Mr Fuchs is reportedly “delighted” that he will be “continuing as the owner of Burgh Island.”

Speaking to BBC Radio Devon, he said: "We had lots of interest and we settled on a buyer, but when we got to exchange that buyer decided not to buy it.”

He also said that his sister would be helping with the management and a new refinancing agreement would help him to accelerate the improvements" and "continue the journey to make it fit for the next 100 years".

Inspiring Agatha Christie’s best-selling novel Evil Under the Sun featuring Hercule Poirot, the hotel has been a popular escape for celebrities and visitors seeking glamour and seclusion for nearly a century. 

It’s rumoured President Eisenhower and Prime Minister Winston Churchill met at the hotel before D-Day, while the Duke of Windsor and Wallace Simpson reportedly visited. The Beatles stayed in the hotel before playing a concert in Plymouth.

The tidal island hosts a variety of amenities and businesses. Built in 1929, the hotel is accessible by foot or car on low tide or by a unique sea tractor at high tide. The Pilchard Inn, one of the UK’s oldest taverns, sits a stone’s throw away from the hotel and is a popular attraction for tourists to enjoy locally sourced food and drinks while enjoying the tidal views. 

Although the hotel may sit on a private island, guests will not be short on activities with access to a tennis court, helipad, private mermaid pool and spa treatment rooms.

Burgh Island Hotel comprises 25 en suite sea view guest bedrooms and suites uniquely decorated with original Art Deco features and have been named after famous visitors such as Noel Coward, Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.

In December 2022, the Council unanimously agreed to grant ‘first in 100 years ‘planning approval which will provide significant development to the island, to include a four-storey ‘titanic’ style hotel extension to create an additional 12 guest suites and 2 staff rooms, the construction of a single storey green-roofed building for an additional 11 en suite staff bedrooms, and extensions to both The Pilchard Inn and Nettlefold restaurant.

It’s expected that the redevelopment will cost between £7-10 million.