Take a rare glimpse inside a unique Kent house on an “apocalyptic” beach estate where Ed Sheeran owns a home.

Lenders do not provide mortgages for the beach house – which encloses an original 1880s train carriage – on the barren land of the once-dubbed desert of Dungeness.

They say John Gilbert’s property, valued at almost a million pounds, is too close to the water and built on unusual foundations - a concrete slab planted on the shingle.

But Mr Gilbert and his family took the plunge on the property in the “harsh” headland – close to The Shape of You hitmaker’s home – two and a half years ago, searching for seclusion.

Describing how his family previously lived in London and then a rural Maidstone location, the 42-year-old said: “In today’s world, everything in the UK has been built up and it is very difficult to find seclusion.”

“We visited randomly one weekend while meeting friends in Rye and came to this bizarre, apocalyptic place and fell in love with it. It is a very harsh environment to live in and visit.

“A big part of being drawn to it was the urbanisation we face elsewhere and trying to find an escape.”

Ed Sheeran has been recording music in his converted railway carriage at the Romney Marsh headland since spending £650,000 on the site in 2022.

The Grammy Award-winning singer describes Dungeness in his track ‘England’, released last year as part of his Autumn Variations album.

In the song, Sheeran refers to “a lighthouse retired, but a new one was hired about 20 foot taller painted in black and white”.

The new “black-and-white” Dungeness lighthouse became operational in 1961, replacing The Old Lighthouse which was first lit in 1904.

Sitting between the landmarks is the “pub with the flag that’s working flexible hours”, otherwise known as the Britannia Inn.

In Sheeran’s social media posts about his album, he included a black-and-white picture of the “train lines” which he sings about in ‘England’.

Mr Gilbert added: “(Ed Sheeran) obviously has wealth but he also has an enormous amount of properties.

“It is a stretch to say he lives nearby. He does have a house and he recorded his previous album there.

“It is a very similar building to ours so is very rustic and is a converted railway station as well.

“He has been pictured in the local chip shop but he probably similarly likes the seclusion and can record relatively peacefully.

“The other reason I think he has a house there is it is close to the airport where he keeps one of his planes.

“I have seen him but not bumped into him. Everyone keeps to themselves.”

Mr Gilbert’s three-bedroom house was built “sometime between the 1960s and 1980s” and encloses an original train carriage from the 1880s.

In the 1920s, the railway firm enabled workers to purchase rolling stock and drag them down onto the shingle beach, where many chose to remain.

It sits on Dungeness’ 468-acre nature reserve – a designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest – and within a private estate of about 30 homes.

The home, which is on the market for £875,000, can be viewed on The Modern House here.

One caveat is lenders do not provide mortgages for this type of property.

“I think because of the way it is built – a concrete slab on the shingle – I don’t believe lenders will give mortgages as it is so unique.

“We haven’t looked or enquired in too much detail so you might be able to get specialist lenders but the standard ones don’t cover it because it is built and how close it is to the water.

“The sea is about 200 metres away.”