A three-bedroom thatched cottage perched on the edge of a precarious cliff in Sidmouth, Devon, has been listed for sale at £250,000. The property, which lost part of its garden to a cliff fall in 2024, now sits approximately 40 feet (12 metres) from a 120-metre drop.
Property Details and History
The home, designed and built in the 1960s for novelist R.F. Delderfield, features a circular design to maximise natural light and coastal views. It includes a bespoke integrated kitchen, an impressive sitting room with French doors opening onto terraces, a versatile dining room or third bedroom, two first-floor bedrooms, a contemporary bathroom, and an en-suite. The mature landscaped gardens offer terraces, an ornamental pond, lawns, and colourful planting, all with stunning sea views.
The property lost part of its garden to a cliff fall in 2024, leaving it just metres from the edge. Drone footage shows an enclosed garden with a wooden gate leading to the precarious cliff edge. Large sections of the Jurassic Coast cliffs, known for fossils, have collapsed in the area. The coastline consists of soft, unstable red sandstone prone to sudden collapses.
Cliff Falls and Coastal Erosion
There have been numerous cliff falls in the area in recent years, with the council regularly closing beaches below. In 2024, the rockfall occurred days after a large portion of the cliff collapsed a few hundred metres away at Jacob’s Ladder Beach. The estate agent listing notes: "The property has in recent years suffered a cliff fall within the very far boundary of the garden. A full cliff survey can be seen within the legal pack."
Auction Details
Listed by Bradley's Estate Agents, the property is set to go up for auction on July 21 with a starting price of £250,000. The listing describes it as "occupying a spectacular cliff-top position" and offering "some of the finest panoramic sea and coastal views in East Devon, stretching along the Jurassic Coast."
