the times | Friday May 27 2022 23
News
A caretaker at a stately home was
sacked after he gave away an oaken
Tudor artefact worth up to £5 million
that had been tossed on to a fire pile.
Brian Wilson let an antiques dealer
walk off with a 460-year-old over-
mantel, which bears Elizabeth I’s coat of
arms, and had been displayed over a
fireplace at Seighford Hall in Stafford-
shire. Details of how it left the grade II
listed manor house have emerged after
Wilson claimed unfair dismissal.
The employment tribunal judge,
Kate Hindmarch, ruled that although
Wilson was unfairly dismissed he was
not entitled to additional compensa-
tion as he acted without permission
Wilson was living in a caravan on the
grounds when the overmantel was
removed, the tribunal was told. He
claimed that it was rotten and had been
set aside for burning, and that he gave it
away to save him the trouble of
disposal. It was acquired by Andrew
Potter, an antiques dealer, in 2020. He
planned to turn it into a headboard but
a museum expert told him it could be of
interest to buyers around the world.
Stafford borough council went to
court to try to stop Whitworth Auc-
tions selling the overmantel last year. It
was expected to fetch between £1.9 mil-
lion and £5 million. The legal action was
dropped and, according to a local auc-
tion house, Potter is now trying to find
a buyer in the Middle East.
Seighford Hall had been derelict for
about 20 years after being used as a
nursing home. In 2020 it was bought by
First Blue Group, which plans to make
it a hotel. During an inspection of the
The boom in staycations has led to a
surge in the cost of beach huts as holi-
daymakers battle it out to secure a sea-
front base.
The average asking price for a shed
by the sea has risen by more than
£10,000 during the past year to £50,336,
according to Rightmove. The latest
increase means prices have nearly
doubled since 2019, before the pan-
demic closed borders, when the average
price of a beach hut was about £26,000.
“Beach huts have become increas-
ingly sought-after over the past couple
of years,” said Tim Bannister, Right-
Tom Howard
Beach hut prices sizzling
move’s director of property data. Felix-
stowe, Suffolk, is the UK’s most popular
location for beach huts, followed by
Frinton-on-Sea, Essex. What is
thought to be the UK’s most expensive
beach hut, near Christchurch in Dorset,
sold last year for more than £500,000.
James Eniffer, a director at Sheen’s
estate agents in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex,
said: “We often find that once people
have a beach hut in the area, they hold
on to them for many years for each gen-
eration of the family to enjoy.”
Beach hut prices have been driven
higher by the slowdown in overseas
travel since the pandemic, which forced
people to spend holidays in the UK.WHITCHURCH AUCTIONS/SOLENT NEWS & PHOTO AGENCYAntiques dealer Andrew Potter
acquired the 460-year-old oak
artefact after it was removed
from Seighford HallCaretaker gave away
stately home’s £5m
Tudor overmantel
property Wilson told a building survey-
or that there had been a break-in the
previous night and items were stolen,
including a tractor, fireplaces and an
oaken overmantel. Police said there
was no crime reference number linked
to an alleged break-in and Christopher
Smith, managing director of the hall,
made a formal report of theft.
Following a tip-off Smith discovered
a historic fireplace at Windmill
Antiques, which said it had bought two
fireplaces from Wilson for £450. The
tribunal was also told that a local car
dealer had bought a tractor from Wil-
son in May 2020 for £1,000.
Wilson was asked in a letter to attend
a meeting about selling items without
authorisation. He was unaware of the
request because he had moved home
and had not received the letter. He was
sacked in November 2020.
Wilson told the tribunal he had per-
mission to scrap the tractor because it
was “absolutely rotten” and denied re-
ceiving money for it. He also denied the
fireplaces had been removed, telling
the hearing that the evidence against
him was “all fabricated” and that the
overmantel was put in a “fire pile”
because it had a fungal infection.
The judge awarded Wilson £4,066 in
unlawful deduction from wages and
untaken holiday pay but ruled he was
not entitled to any additional compen-
sation for his sacking. She said he had
been unfairly dismissed because he had
not been made aware of the decision to
fire him. She concluded: “[Wilson’s]
actions were without permission and
he was not credible in his explanations.
His behaviour was blameworthy, and I
find the basic award should be nil.”Debbie White
aAntiquesdealerAndrewPotter