An idyllic clifftop home was demolished today due to coastal erosion – just weeks after a mystery buyer had a lucky escape when they cancelled their bid to purchase it for £200,000.
The four-bedroom detached house called The Chantry, which overlooks the North Sea at Thorpeness near upmarket Aldeburgh, Suffolk, failed to sell when it was put on the market for £1million last spring.
Potential buyers are believed to have been put off by the fact that it was just three doors down from a rambling six-bedroom holiday home which was demolished in 2022 as it was in imminent danger of falling off the rapidly eroding 30ft sandy cliff.
In desperation, the family which is believed to have owned The Chantry for many years put it up for auction on September 24 this year with the hammer going down on a bid of £200,000 – a fraction of its likely value if it were not for coastal erosion.
The successful bid is thought to have constituted an agreement to exchange contracts but the buyer later pulled out before the sale could be finalised after an apparent rapid acceleration of the erosion of the cliff at the end of the garden.
A villager who asked not to be named, said: ‘The buyer would have known about the issue with the house being on top of a cliff which was being constantly battered by the waves, so it was getting closer and closer to the sea.
‘But they probably thought that they might still get a good few years out of it before the inevitable happened and it would have to be demolished due to it being too close to the cliff edge.
‘Unfortunately, after their successful bid there were some extremely high tides and big waves which knocked away a big chunk of the cliffs, putting the house in obvious danger.
Just three months after this handsome sea view mansion was sold at auction for a knock-down £200,000, it was demolished. The bidder at auction withdrew after the rapid acceleration of erosion which left it near a cliff face
‘The buyer managed to pull out before handing over the money on the basis that the details of the house which were offered at the time of the auction were no long applicable, due to its structural integrity being threatened.
‘You could say that they had a rather lucky escape because they could have paid £200,000 for a property which them had to be demolished less than three months later.’
But demolition contractors were today using a giant digger to tear down chunks of the house, reducing it to a pile of rubble which was then loaded into a truck to be transported away from the site.
The family which own the house are thought to have used it as a holiday retreat in recent years. They are named on a Land registry document as Sheila Green, Graham Green, Richard Green, all of Pinner, north west London and Christopher Green of nearby Ruislip.
The value of the house was stated on Land Registry records as being £666,000 in July 2023.
Members of the family have not responded to a request for comment. Ipswich-based auctioneers Goldings which conducted the auction for the house also declined to comment.
The auction particulars for the house which are still online describe it as a ‘stunning detached house’ with two reception rooms and on a ‘large plot with a terrace’ situated on a ‘cliff top with sea views priced for auction’. Handsome wooden beams were a feature throughout the property.
The details state: ‘A striking detached house in a prime cliff top position within the sought-after coastal village of Thorpeness, renowned for its beach, boating lake, golf course, amenities and easy access to Aldeburgh and Saxmundham.
The four-bedroom property had been marketed for £1million last year but failed to sell
The living room of the wood-beamed property which is understood to have been owned by the same family for some years
The mansion also boasted a pool room, as well as a kitchen/breakfast room and study
‘Set in a generous plot with a superb sea-facing terrace, the property combines lifestyle and investment appeal. It offers a distinctive second home, a strong investment with AirBnB potential or, given proximity to the new Sizewell C development, ideal for multiple occupation.
‘Accommodation comprises two receptions and a kitchen/breakfast room, all with sea views, plus study and WC. Upstairs, a principal suite with ensuite and dressing room plus three further doubles and a family bathroom.’
The details did not try to gloss over how the position of the house put it in danger of being swept away, warning: ‘Purchasers should note local coastal conditions and erosion may affect future planning.’
The village of Thorpeness was developed as a fantasy holiday resort by Scottish playwright and barrister Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie, who inherited the surrounding estate in 1908 and was a wealthy friend of Peter Pan author JM Barrie.
The seaside village with a large artificial boating lake, complete with Peter Pan-inspired islands, was officially opened in 1913. The village has been increasingly threatened with coastal erosion in recent years, but authorities have been reluctant to splash out on defences to save homes.
An East Suffolk Council spokesman said the demolition of The Chantry had to go ahead as the house had landed up close to the edge of the cliff following recent erosion, putting it in danger of falling over the edge.
The spokesperson added: ‘We have been working closely with affected property owners following significant recent erosion and sadly, critical safety levels have now been reached for another property on North End Avenue.
‘Demolition is in progress and we will continue to support the owners and their contractors to ensure the building can be taken down safely. This is a distressing situation, and we would request that people respect the owner’s privacy at this difficult time.
88-year-old Jean Flick in the garden at her home in Thorpeness, as demolition began in October on her clifftop home which was at risk of falling into the sea
The house was teetering on the edge of a 25-ft high sandy cliff made worse by recent stormy weather
The local council sent a demolition squad to tear down Mrs Flick’s beloved four-bedroom detached house
‘It is impossible to accurately predict when further losses may occur as erosion is not linear. Therefore, we are regularly monitoring the area and engaging with property owners on an ongoing basis.’
Widow Jean Flick, 88, who lived in the four-bedroom detached house next door, lost her battle to save her clifftop home when it was demolished in October – days after the auction of The Chantry – when it was left teetering on the cliff edge by stormy weather.
Mrs Flick had hoped that she might be able to stay in her home for another winter, only to have her dream dashed by waves tearing away at the cliff.
She was forced to move out all her possessions after officials at East Suffolk Council ruled that ‘critical safety levels’ had been reached.
Demolition workers knocked down her house, built in 1928, after the cliff was left just 3ft away from the edge of her patio and around 15ft from her house.
The work was initially delayed by high winds and the presence of a bat which was spotted flying out of a roof space, leading to an environmental assessment.
Mrs Flick had bought her home with her second husband in 1999 for a fresh start after the death of her first husband from cancer.
The couple lived happily in their idyllic home called The Warren, enjoying spectacular views over the North Sea until her second husband also tragically died of cancer.
The house could have been worth up to £1.7million if it were not in danger of falling off the cliff, according to a valuation by property website Zoopla.
Mrs Flick moved in with her daughter Frances Paul, a retired retail worker, who lives in a bungalow opposite her doomed house.
Her immediate neighbours spent ‘hundreds of thousands of pounds’ in 2021 on shipping in more than 500 giant rocks weighing three tons each and placing them at the bottom of the cliff to protect their home.
The DIY sea defences has so far saved the house next door, although waves are now eating away at the exposed area of cliff behind the rocks.
Another detached property called The Red House in the road which was rented it out for holiday accommodation for thousands of pounds a week was demolished in 2022.
Thorpeness has a Shoreline Management Plan which rules that its coastline is suitable for ‘managed realignment’, meaning measures might be permitted to slow erosion down but not stop it.
Mark Packard, cabinet member for planning and coastal management on East Suffolk Council, said at the time of the demolition of Mrs Flick’s home: ‘There is an impending issue with erosion in Thorpeness.
‘It’s terribly sad for the family and really difficult to deal with. But there is a sort of inevitability with the sea because this piece of land sticks out.
‘Our main attitude, in the end, is to let the sea do its business and make sure people are taken care of instead. It’s very difficult to train the sea to do anything it doesn’t want to do.’
Maureen Jones, chairman of Aldringham-cum-Thorpe parish council, said it had been ‘absolutely heartbreaking’ to see homes destroyed and called for East Suffolk Council to help residents.
She added the erosion in front of The Chantry had happened ‘in less than month’ which she described as ‘frightening’.
‘It’s absolutely heartbreaking to see all of these beautiful houses having to be destroyed because of all the erosion… It’s absolutely devastating for the village,’ Ms Jones said.