1 week ago
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A 200-year-old three-bedroom property hanging perilously over a 150ft cliff edge on the north Norfolk coast has been demolished in less than three hours.
Excavators organised by North Norfolk District Council had already demolished the garage and shed at Cliff Farm in Trimingham and started work on the house this morning.
The £132,000 house has stood empty since its owner, Steve McCormack, was forced to evacuate due to his home no longer being safe - but his neighbour is currently refusing to leave, saying the only way he will abandon his home is 'in a coffin'.
It has been a race against time to demolish the property before it slips on to the beach below, with a new crack appearing in the cliff just last week following heavy rain.
Drone pictures taken yesterday afternoon show steel fencing around the property before demolition and skips being filled with debris from the garage and shed. Now there is little more than a pile of rubble atop the cliff to show the house ever existed.
On Friday, demolition crews began the sorry task of tearing down the 18th century farmhouse after its owner was forced to evacuate earlier this year
In just a few hours the house was almost completely demolished as excavators prepared to pull down the final wall
Clouds of dust were thrown up into the air from the old bricks as demolition crews got to work
The house had been left teetering dangerously over the edge of a 150ft cliff after severe coastal erosion
Specialist crews used diggers and other heavy machinery to pull down the house before it plunged to the beach below
Mr McCormack, who bought the property, which dates back to the 18th century, just five years ago at auction for £132,000, was forced to evacuate his home earlier this year.
He previously told the Mail: 'I can't think straight. I can't talk now. I need to try to sort this out'.
Recent heavy rainfall has increased erosion in the soft cliffs at Trimingham and there have been frequent landslides over the last few months.
A spokesperson for North Norfolk District Council told MailOnline this week: 'The Council has secured specialist contractors who will carry out the safe demolition of Cliff Farm in Trimingham in the near future.'
Just three days later, it seems the demolition is well underway.
Mr McCormack's neighbour, Martin Collingwood, also faces seeing his picturesque home Windy Ridge torn down, but has vowed to fight on.
Dramatic photos showed the difficult job of the demolition crew, who were perilously close to the edge of the cliff
A huge pile of debris soon built up as the 18th century farmhouse was destroyed
Demolition workers tear down Cliff Farm in Trimingham, Norfolk, which was rendered unsafe to be lived in by the owner after a recent slip left it overhanging the cliff
Recent heavy rainfall has increased erosion in the soft cliffs at Trimingham and there have been frequent landslides over the last few months
Aerial images show how close heavy machinery was having to get to the edge of the cliff in order to carry out the demolition
The entire building was in danger of collapsing onto the beach below, spreading debris over a wide area
Dramatic photos show that metres of cliff has fallen into the sea in recent months. Pictured: The house in May 2024 (left) and in October 2023 (right)
Heartbroken homeowner Mr McCormack bought the house via auction five years ago for £132,000
The farmhouse is set on the Norfolk coastline with spectacular views over the bay below
Demolition was well underway on Friday morning after the council this week set a timetable of the 'near future'
Cliff House lies to the east of Trimingham, an area of the Norfolk coast that has high amounts of erosion
The retired carpenter, 69, who once served in the Parachute Regiment said: 'This is my home. I won't go anywhere unless I leave in an old box, a coffin.'
Mr Collingwood, who has two grown-up children living in the north-east, said: 'I haven't told them what's happened. I don't want to worry them. There's nothing they can do.'
Living alone with the help of carers, he has house insurance but added: 'I haven't had a survey and didn't have a survey when I bought it.'
He blamed poor water drainage for the severe coastal erosion at Trimingham.
'It's not the sea. The sea doesn't even hit the bottom of the cliff. The problem is caused by the water from above – it's the drains up the road,' said Mr Collingwood.
Harry Blathwayt, North Norfolk District Council's portfolio holder for coast, said previously: 'It's very sad that the old farmhouse has been undermined by landfall over the last few weeks.
'Sadly, it will have to be demolished.
In October 2023, the house was metres from the edge of the cliff, which has quickly eroded
Soon all that was left of the 200-year-old house were a few walls and roof tiles, with debris spread across the cliffs
Residents say despite severe coastal erosion, the sea does not reach the cliffs below the house
Neighbour to Cliff Farm Martin Collingwood said he will only leave his house 'in a coffin'
Locals blame poor drainage for the rapid coastal erosion rather than any impact from the sea, which they say does not even reach the cliffs
'The owner of the property has spoken to council officers and he fully accepts that the building is in a precarious position to say the least.
'As such, the council's Coastwise team will be helping demolish it - getting contractors in and taking it down before it can fall on the beach.'
Four years ago, in January 2020, a large part of the cliff eroded near Trimingham House Caravan Park, with tonnes of sand and silt falling onto the beach.
Trimingham Parish Council plans to use drones to plant seeds along the cliffs in a bid to naturally bind them together and slow down the rate of erosion threatening the village. They have also been trying to use pipes to drain water out of the cliffs.
The rapid disappearance of the coastline in parts of Norfolk is a well-known phenomenon, with locals accusing councils or the government of failing to provide adequate defences against the force of the sea.
