The Sealand Rig by Richard Lazenby licensed under the terms of Public Domain
This week’s crazy building is the Principality of Sealand, off the coast of Essex, England.
This time around, our crazy building is (depending on who you ask) also its own country. Originally a British WWII naval fort known as Roughs Tower, it was occupied by pirate radio broadcaster Paddy Roy Bates in 1967.
By 1975, he was claiming it as a new nation and had created a constitution, currency, passports, flag and even a national anthem. No other countries recognize it as a sovereign state, but that didn’t stop him and his family from vociferously declaring independence.
But ruling a nation isn’t without its hazards. In 1978, Bates’ son was even taken hostage by mercenaries as another man tried to declare himself prime minister!
The structure itself consists of two towers rising up from the Atlantic Ocean, connected by a steel platform. It weighs 4500 tons in total and even includes a helipad.
It may not be recognized as a country, but we can certainly recognize it as one of the craziest uses of a building in history.
