Tower 60 had coastguard occupants from the 1840′s and later housed the chief boatman.

Declared safe from the sea in 1873, Tower 60 has never been in danger from coastal erosion.

The tower was recorded in 1886 as being owned by the War Office and occupied by the Cinque Ports Artillery Volunteers.

The value of the acre of land around the tower was valued by Eastbourne Rural District Council at 3 pounds, 7 shillings and sixpence.

By 1900, the land surrounding Tower 60 and its neighbour, 61, had been bought by Val Prinsep RA. Leyland Road, in which the tower stands, was named after Prinsep’s wife, Florence Leyland.

In a key position in Pevensey, the tower was not occupied during World War Two, and so did not receive an extra concrete roof.

It was not until work was being carried out in the tower in 1955 that the first person within living memory actually reached the roof. The Cannon had been dismounted from its carriage, which was said to have been in good condition, but was subsequently sawn up and disposed of, according to the April 1955 Sussex County Magazine.

The tower seems to have stood derelict until 1959, when it became an observation post for the Royal Observer Corps, who were detailed to report sightings of hostile jet aircraft.

The Observer Corps probably vacated the tower at some point during the 1970′s-80′s, when it was purchased in 1984 for £22,000 and renovated for the next two years to become a residence.

To create more floorspace on the roof, the firing step and central pivot were removed from the roof, and a new roof with windows added. New windows were knocked into the walls. Tower 60 was put up for sale in 1998 for £270,000.

^{source : the south coast martello towers}