A GRAND Designs home in a popular UK seaside town dubbed the “saddest ever property” has finally been sold.
The famous, or infamous, coastal mansion which took 12 years to build has finally found a buyer bringing the sorry saga to an end.
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Chesil Cliff House in North Devon first appeared on the Channel 4 property show in October 2019 where viewers called it the “saddest property ever”.
The former owner Edward Short began the nightmare project in 2010 for £1.4 million with the intention of it being a family home within 18 months.
The luxury clifftop property only hit the market in 2022 after a swathe of setbacks and building issues, taking 12 years to complete.
The gruelling process put a serious toll on Edward’s family and his marriage eventually broke down while being left with staggering debts.
But after years of turmoil, the property has finally found a buyer.
Savills, who handled the sale, confirmed the property was sold in October 2024.
Spread over three acres, the home includes an infinity pool, a storm room, four receptions and a glass lighthouse tower.
It has five bedrooms and four bathrooms, and comes with a detached guest lodge.
The work to Chesil Cliff House set Edward back an eye-watering £7 million, far more than the £2.5 million budget he set during original planning application in 2011.
It also cost him his marriage to ex-wife Hazel as the pressure of the property put too much strain on the pair.
“It was a nightmare from the moment the first spade hit the ground. We were up against it from day one, with the really vulnerable cliff in front of the house,” he said in an update last year.
He previously told Grand Designers presenter Kevin that his “vanity and ambition” was his downfall.
They appeared on Grand Designs in 2019 with plans to refurbish the almost derelict property, situated between Saunton Sands and Croyde Beach in North Devon, which they had purchased in 2010.
Eventually, after more than a decade of work, Edward completed the property at a nightmare cost and his seven-figure debt meant he needed to sell quickly to recoup his losses.
In a previous interview with The Sun, he said the project had left him close to bankruptcy and that he now classes himself as a “minus millionaire“.
The Grand Designs home was originally listed for £10 million in 2022 but that was slashed to £5.25 million in early 2024 after serious structural issues with the driveway were discovered.
The driveway, which dates back to the 1960s, leads to a second smaller property on the plot, dubbed The Eye.
Deemed unsafe to use, the driveway’s collapsing edges caused multiple sales to fall through.
The tenacious Edward even considered borrowing a further £2 million to resolve the issue at the time in an attempt to restore its original asking price.
Inside the ‘saddest’ Grand Designs house
Savills’s listing reads: “The property represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take on and finish the specification and fit out of one of the UK’s most spectacularly situated coastal homes.
“The bespoke design has been brought to life through impressive engineering, with the building being anchored to the bedrock, blending whitewashed elevations with steel and glass, culminating with a lighthouse feature at one end giving almost 360-degree views of the coastline.
“The position combines privacy with a diverse range of breath-taking views, all set in around 3 acres, which includes a large area of foreshore, a private tidal beach area and coves.”
The property is set in three acres of land and is equipped with an infinity pool and a hot tub as well as a spacious driveway.
Nic Chbat, director of Match Property estate agents in North Devon, who previously assisted with finding a buyer last year said at the time the sale stalled after the timeframe for the sale “expired”.
He added the previous buyer was “still wanting to buy the property,” and the sale was still expected to proceed.
The new listing though would suggest the purchase was never made with the sale now being handled by London-based estate agents Savills.
A spokeswoman for both Savills and the receivers Bellevue Mortlakes said: “The sale represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase one of the UK’s most spectacularly situated coastal homes and for the buyer to put the finishing touches to the property’s interior to their own specification.
“The current sale price (offers in excess of £5.25m) represents fair value noting the prevailing economic and heterogeneous nature of this opportunity.
“The property has panoramic sea views and is set in grounds of over three acres, including foreshore and a tidal beach, with accommodation extending to over 6,260 sq ft.
“The detached guest lodge/holiday let accommodation extends to about 1,270 sq ft and is included in the sale price.
“Subject to registration with the agents, the receiver has provided an extensive suite of information and supporting documentation relating to the building’s history, construction and title, which are available via an online data room.”
After being taken off the market in February 2023, it was relisted four months later at £7.5 million before it was reduced even further.
Devon multi-millionaire Matt Fiddes, who was Michael Jackson’s former bodyguard had tabled a £7.5m bid for the Croyde property back in 2022, but his offer was refused.
Rumours also swirled that One Direction singer, Harry Styles, was previously interested in the property.
Edward also revealed he even had talks with house raffle site Omaze, but the price tag was too hefty for them.
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