Man ordered to reveal location of £5m Tudor artefact acquired from Stafford manor house
The borough council wants to prevent the sale of the 'cultural object'
A man who acquired a rare Tudor artefact from a 16th century manor house near Stafford has been ordered to tell the borough council where it is being stored.
Stafford Borough Council applied for an injunction to stop the oak overmantel from Seighford Hall being sold last month. The artefact, which features Elizabeth I’s coat of arms, was expected to fetch up to £5m at the sale organised by Whitchurch Auctions.
At a hearing at Birmingham County Court on Friday (September 10) Andrew Potter, who acquired the overmantel from Seighford Hall, was told he must inform Stafford Borough Council where it was being stored and allow it to be inspected by the authority.
Mr Potter, of Wolseley Road, Stafford, told the court the overmantel was currently located at a self-storage unit in Telford.
The case was adjourned until Monday, September 27. The injunction measures, which prevent the sale or disposal of the overmantel, remain in force.
Stafford Borough Council spokesman Will Conaghan, speaking before Friday’s hearing, said: “We applied for the injunction to stop an offence being committed under the Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Act.
“We want to prevent the sale of the overmantel and have the panel reinstated in the listed building.”
But Michael Jones from Whitchurch Auctions told Friday’s hearing: “It is an opinion by the council that the object is cultural. We have experts that say it is not.”
Seighford Hall, a Grade II Listed building, is believed to have been gifted by Elizabeth I to Richard Eld in the 1590s as a reward for his services as paymaster.
In the 20th century Seighford Hall was used as a nursing home but it is now set to be transformed into a luxury hotel.
The overmantel is believed to be between 417 and 462 years old and features a lion and dragon, representing England and Wales, supporting a shield in the centre. There are also carvings depicting lyres and hanging fruit, as well as atlas and caryatid (male and female) figures, and the overmantel is considered to be influenced by architects and designers from France and Italy.