18th century Trimingham farmhouse demolished at Norfolk coast

The home at the aptly named Cliff Farm in Trimingham was demolished in a district council-led operation today after a dramatic landslide last month left it dangling dangerously over the county's highest cliffs.

The house was demolished (Image: Joe Giddens/PA)

Contractors rolled into the village in the early hours of Friday morning to tear down the three-bedroom property.

The owner of the old farmhouse, which dates back to the 18th century, bought the home for his retirement just five years ago - paying around £132,000 for it at auction in 2019. 

The demolition got under way at around 7.30am, but by midday all that was left was a pile of rubble where the house once stood.

The demolition of the house at Cliff Farm in Trimingham (Image: NNDC)

The house was left hanging over the cliff edge after a dramatic landslide last month (Image: NNDC)

The roof being pulled off the home at Cliff Farm in Trimingham (Image: Denise Bradley)

The roof being pulled off the home at Cliff Farm in Trimingham (Image: Denise Bradley)

The owner of the wooden Windy Ridge chalet next door sat on his porch overlooking the demolition.

His home, just yards from the cliff edge, is next in line to fall - but the elderly man, who is believed to have lived there all his life, is desperate to stay and hopes to see out his remaining years in his clifftop home.

The devastated owner, who didn't watch the demolition, had one final wish to save the house's chimney pot, which was one of the only surviving features of the property from when it was built in the 1700s. 

The demolition on Friday morning (Image: NNDC)

The final wall of the home at Cliff Farm in Trimingham (Image: Denise Bradley)

The house's chimney pot, which dates back to the 18th century, was salvaged (Image: Denise Bradley)

Contractors carefully dismantled the property to avoid debris falling onto the beach below.

The next two days have been allocated to clear away the rubble.

Harry Blathwayt, portfolio holder for Coast at North Norfolk District Council (NNDC), said: "Unfortunately, we've had to demolish somebody's home today, which was on the edge of the cliff in a very precarious position.

Harry Blathwayt, portfolio holder for Coast at North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) (Image: Denise Bradley)

"We had to demolish it to protect people's safety and stop any pollution from it. 

"The owner is in a tricky position. He is understandably upset and has chosen to keep a low profile today."