By at least 1837, this tower had been occupied by the coastguard, but had, by 1840, suffered minor sea damage, and so was to be demolished and the materials sold off. On February 1, 1842, a W. Honess auctioned off the materials in 33 lots. The Portland stone coping was said to have been used to build a chancel for St. Mark's Church in Bexhill, which had been built in 1840 from the remains of Tower 42. The rest of the materials were auctioned off to builders merchants for a sum of £235 2s 0d. Due to a legal battle, the materials were not collected and the sale was annulled as the sea subsequently sorted the argument out by washing the tower away by a storm on February 27.
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| Tower 40 | Tower 42 |