Legal action by Stafford Borough Council over sale of £5m Tudor overmantel

The oak overmantel, believed to be about 460 years old, bears Elizabeth I's coat of arms

A council is taking legal action to stop the sale of a rare Tudor artefact, valued at about £5m, which it says was removed from an historic manor house without proper consent.

Stafford Borough Council said the oak overmantel was taken without correct permissions from Seighford Hall.

It has secured a temporary injunction to stop the item being sold at auction.

Auctioneers have denied any wrongdoing and said it was on "the top of a bonfire" before it was saved.

Michael Jones, from Whitchurch Auctions, said the overmantel - an ornamental structure above a mantelpiece - which was acquired by Andrew Potter in 2020, was infested with woodworm and due to be burnt.

He said Mr Potter, from Stafford, had planned to turn the piece, which is nearly nine feet (2.7m) wide, into a headboard before learning of its value.

The overmantel hung over a fireplace at Seighford Hall, near Stafford

The artefact, which is thought to be about 460 years old, bears Elizabeth I's coat of arms and had been expected to fetch between £1.9m and £5m at the sale.

But Stafford Borough Council has said there had been no Listed Building Consent granted for the removal of the item from the Grade II listed building.

Council spokesman Will Conaghan said the authority took out the injunction over the sale in August to stop an offence 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," he added.

Seighford Hall is a Grade II listed building which was built in the 16th Century and had been derelict for about 20 years

Mr Jones said the auction firm was now considering legal action against the council and Staffordshire Police over how the issue has been handled.

"They have gone about it the wrong way. We have done everything right and we have done it through lawyers," he said.

"The overmantel was on top of a bonfire and it was full of woodworm. We have got a receipt for it."

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Staffordshire Police said they arrested a 53-year-old man, from Stafford, earlier this year on suspicion of burglary after a report of stolen property from Seighford Hall.

They added the man was de-arrested shortly afterwards but their investigation continues.

A hearing over the injunction is due to take place at Birmingham Court Court on Friday, according to both parties.

Seighford Hall was built in the 16th Century and had been a nursing home before being left derelict for nearly 20 years.

The hall has been bought by a private firm which said this summer it planned to turn it into a luxury hotel.