Devon lighthouse from 'saddest ever' episode of Grand Designs on sale for £10M

A Devon lighthouse which featured in an episode of Grand Designs dubbed the "saddest ever" by viewers is up for sale - for £10million.

The Down End property was supposed to be a home for Edward Short and his family.

But during filming for the Channel 4 show, his dream turned into a nightmare when the build went wrong and he ended up in millions of pounds worth of debt.

The project put huge strain on the family and the couple eventually split up.

When the lighthouse appeared on the Channel 4 programme, it had only a few windows fitted and was described by Kevin McCloud as a "half-finished, desolate carcass" of a home, "like an abandoned James Bond filmset".

Now complete, the property has been put on the market and is being marketed by estate agents Knight Frank for £10million.

In the episode, Edward said the one "huge guilt" he felt was the build caused him and his wife to separate.

He said: "I put her through a horrendous time with this - knocking the family home down, not building another one, putting all our money into it when nobody had any idea what the outcome was.

"I don't think it gets much worse than that for a partner", he added.

After working on the house for a decade, the 52-year-old is putting it up for sale to cover the large amount of money he had to borrow.

Speaking of his decision, 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.”

The lighthouse-inspired home - which gives panoramic views across Croyde Bay to the north as well as to Saunton beach and Braunton Burrows to the south - has five bedrooms and bathrooms, four reception rooms, a sauna, a cellar, a cinema and a 60ft glass-edged infinity pool.

It also has a three-bedroom studio annexe which is known as 'The Eye' and has a double garage.

The home has been anchored into the bedrock of the cliff and has been engineered to a level which means there is no possibility for erosional hazard.

Knight Frank described it as 'one of the most impressive waterfront homes on the North Devon coast'.

Christopher Bailey, Head of National Waterfront at Knight Frank, said: "Chesil Cliff House will be the most significant coastal property to come to the open market in the West Country for many years.

"It is iconic in the true meaning of the word and there is nothing else to compare it to on the market right now.

"It certainly sits at the very top of the national coastal waterfront market and I have no doubt it will attract keen interest globally.”