The lighthouse that was bought for £900 six years ago and now sells for £850,000

But when you combine commanding clifftop position and breathtaking views to its internal transformation into a stunning six-bedroom home, then perhaps the £850,000 asking price begins to make sense.

The 50ft-high grade-II listed property, built 173 years ago on top of Beachy Head in East Sussex, is being offered for sale by owners Mark and Louise Roberts, who are emigrating to Australia with their three children.

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It has three floors, an entrance hall, sitting room (inset), dining area, kitchen, two tower rooms and a lantern room as well as the bedrooms.

Buyers should beware of the threat from advancing tides, however.

In 1999, Mrs Roberts had the whole property moved 55ft further inland after a rock fall left it just 10ft from the cliff edge. The work cost £250,000. She says it should be safe for 50 to 60 years.

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Belle Tout was used as a location for the 1986 TV drama series The Life and Loves of a She Devil. More recently it was featured in the BBC's Changing Rooms when Carol Smillie was enlisted to help decorate it.

Mrs Roberts bought it on a leasehold basis in 1997 for a figure believed to be at least £200,000. Four years later, she purchased the freehold from Eastbourne Borough Council for £900. She used to run it as a bed and breakfast establishment.

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A spokesman for the estate agent

Strutt and Parker said: "It is quite out of the ordinary. We can see it being sold as a second home or going to an artist or writer.

"It would still make a fantastic B&B, though is probably not ideal for someone with vertigo."