Athelhampton House contents auctioned after estate sale
- Published
The furnishings will be on display at the house until 3 October
The contents of a Tudor house and visitor attraction in Dorset are to be auctioned after the property was sold.
Athelhampton House and Gardens, near Puddletown, was bought for £7m in July by economist Giles Keating.
Described as one of England's most important Tudor manor houses, the attraction has featured in films as well as in the work of Thomas Hardy.
The furnishings will remain on display until 3 October before they are removed for auction.
The Grade I listed, 15th Century house and 29-acre (12-hectare) estate was sold by Patrick and Andrea Cooke who do not wish to keep the contents.
Thomas Hardy wrote about Athelhampton in his poetry
Items for sale include a George III commode, attributed to Thomas Chippendale, and a 16th Century refectory table.
The auction, by Duke's of Dorchester, will take place at the house later this year.
"Good old-fashioned auctions on the premises are a rarity these days and it is a privilege to organise one against such a historic backdrop," auctioneer Guy Schwinge said.
Athelhampton's former owners have included a Lord Mayor of London and a Duke of Wellington but it has been in the Cooke family since 1957.
The house features in Hardy's poem The Dame of Athelhall and his short story The Waiting Supper.
It was also the backdrop for the 1972 film, Sleuth, starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine, and the 2009 fantasy drama From Time to Time, starring Dame Maggie Smith and Hugh Bonneville.