The brutal 12 years of misery Chesil Cliff House inflicted on owner Edward Short left him millions of pounds in debt and cost him his wife – but his spirit is intact as he joked about buying it back
The home featured on Grand Designs’ “saddest ever” episode has finally sold after putting its owner through 12 years of pain and misery. Edward Short managed to complete the ambitious Chesil Cliff House project but lost his marriage and straddled himself with £7million of debt in the process.
The construction project went several million pounds over budget and was exacerbated by the recession. The house was showcased on Channel 4’s Grand Designs, with many viewers labelling it the “saddest episode ever” following its broadcast in October 2019.
The episode chronicled Edward and his family’s journey as they faced numerous setbacks, leaving the house in Croyde, Devon, incomplete and the family burdened with millions of pounds in debt. The five-bedroom property was put back on the market in 2024 for £5.25million and has finally found a buyer.
Despite the pain and misery Edward suffered due to the misfortune-ridden project, he still has dreams of buying it back – when he wins the lottery.
House finally sold
Edward expressed his relief that the property has been sold, joking that he’ll still be buying a lottery ticket in hopes of reclaiming it one day.
He said: “It is definitely the closure of a long chapter of my life – there is no doubt about that. I mentally moved on from the property a while ago as the writing was on the wall. I am relieved it is sold; it gives me closure.
“I put everything I could as a person to make it work, but it didn’t. It is not the end of the world, but it was a financial failure. I will still be buying a lottery ticket and dreaming that I can buy it back.”
The property first hit the market in February 2023, but failed to find a buyer. Fast forward to late 2024, and the five-bedroom residence was back up for grabs, this time listed by Savills on behalf of joint receivers at a slashed price of £5.25million.
Lighthouse design
The inspiration for Chesil Cliff House comes from the design of a lighthouse as it is suitably located on the North Devon coast overlooking Croyde Bay. The seaside property boasts an infinity pool, detached three-bedroom gust house and a three-storey tower with panoramic views.
It comes with a three-acre plot with coastal grounds and foreshore, offering a unique blend of luxury and coastal living. The main house has a sunken living room, a large patio, and a balcony overlooking Croyde Beach. While the guest house single-story, three-bedroom home with a green roof.
£7million in debt
Edward said that he still looks at his time building the property with fond memories. He said the time he spent building the house were some of the best times of his life.
Edward said: “I do look back at lots of elements of building that house that I enjoyed. There were moments that were amazing. All the time I spent building the house was amazing – that never leaves you.”
Costs spiralled out of control for owner Edward when he tried to transform the house into an art deco lighthouse. It was originally listed on Knight Frank’s website for £10 million and boasts an infinity pool with three acres of land.
It was close to being purchased before a mystery buyer pulled out and was later put back on the market and been split into two, with the main house being offered for £7.5 million while the second adjacent beach development called ‘The Eye’ was available for £2.5million.
Divorce
Short said the process had been brutal on his now-ex-wife, Hazel. “The whole project has been a horrendous strain for Hazel, I have sunk our family purse into this and I really feel for her. I never meant to put her through any of this,” he said.
Despite all the problems, Edward remained adamant he would finish. Speaking previously, Edward said: “I’ll always be proud to have finished this. I owe it to my family to have a real end result, but the time has come to move on.
“I will have achieved what I set out to do, never deviating from the plans, and for that I’ll always be proud.”
Michael Jackson’s bodyguard
Previously, rumours swirled that celebrities like Harry Styles and Michael Jackson’s former bodyguard Matt Fiddes were eyeing the property – but no deal ever materialised.
In November 2024, Matt commented: “It is in a very valuable part of Croyde. It is a great corner but absolutely knocking it down and building something more modest would make much better financial sense. It would make the locals happy and give a safer access.
“That is definitely an option and is what the locals want. If my bid is successful, I will listen to the community and hear them out. All I hear at the moment though, is that it is getting vandalised and the locals just want rid of it.”
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