Drake’s Island off the coast of Plymouth has hit the market for £6m – and it comes with abandoned barracks, underground tunnels and planning permission for a 25-room hotel.

The six-acre stretch of land – on the market with Jones Lang LaSalle – is named after explorer Sir Francis Drake, who set off from the island on an expedition to circumnavigate the world in 1577. It’s had a colourful history since Drake’s voyage and has been home to drunken soldiers, brandy smugglers, and at one point was used as a prison camp.

Remnants of its chequered past are still dotted about the site, including rusting cannons, a Ministry of Defence radio mast and a Grade II-listed house. The island home will require a lot of elbow grease if its new custodian wants to continue work started by its owner, former Plymouth Argyl chairman and businessman Dan McCauley. He had originally planned to convert it into a spa and hotel.

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